


It's Just a Hiding Place

by MalachiTamim



Series: Hiding Place [1]
Category: Avatar: Legend of Korra
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, F/F, Friendship/Love
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-10-01
Updated: 2015-10-25
Packaged: 2018-04-24 08:53:00
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 18
Words: 70,977
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4913101
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MalachiTamim/pseuds/MalachiTamim
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Modern AU. A 22 year old Korra realizes she's been in love with Asami for years. She tries to figure out when it happened and how to handle it by pondering their seven-year friendship to discern if maybe Asami feels the same way.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> "The Legend of Korra" is owned by Bryan Konietzko and Michael Dante DiMartino.

Present Day

A nearly blank email refused to yield to Korra’s glare. She had been staring at her computer for the past hour trying to figure out what to say. In that time all she had managed to type was:

New Message  
To: Asami Sato (asamisato@gmail.com)  
From: Korra (avatarkorra@yahoo.com)  
Subject: I always have advice! haha

Asami,

I

Korra was embarrassed by her email address. It was something that seemed like a good idea back when she was in high school and thought she was a hotshot, but now that she had graduated from college, she rarely used this account anymore. In fact, she only ever used it to email Asami. She would abandon it altogether except that it held the archive of the thousands of emails they had sent to one another over the past six years. It was, perhaps, and outdated form of communication, but by now it was so familiar that Korra couldn’t imagine keeping in contact with her any other way.

She banged her head against the wall with a groan. Why was this so difficult? Last week Korra had managed to talk a teenager off a ledge where she was threatening kill herself. A few days before that she was called in to diffuse a situation where a man held his family at gunpoint. She didn’t even break a sweat, so why was she having so much trouble writing an email to one of her best friends?

“Hey, Korra,” came a voice from her doorway.

“Go away, Jinora,” she muttered.

Jinora was her foster sister, the biological daughter of Tenzin and Pema, the couple who had taken her in back when she was fifteen. Korra loved the family dearly and was forever grateful that they continued to welcome her even though she was almost twenty-two and had officially aged out of the foster care system last year. They even kept her room the same when she went away to college, despite the fact that she only came home for brief periods a few times year. Now they were more than willing to allow her to stay for a few months after graduation until she was able to save up enough money for a place of her own. The only downside was that she had to contend with four foster siblings whom she loved dearly, but could be a bit of a handful. At nearly sixteen, Jinora was the oldest and had grown out of her wild stage, but Ikki, Meelo, and Rohan were constantly bickering and breaking things. Still, she loved the feeling of belonging to a family too much to find somewhere else to crash.

True to form, Jinora ignored Korra’s demand and glided across the room to curl up next to Korra on her bed. She laid her head on the older girl’s shoulder and looked at the screen. 

“So, I heard that Iroh asked Asami to marry him and she said yes,” Jinora began, glancing up at Korra to judge her reaction. 

Korra sighed and shook her head. It was more complicated than that. “Asami agreed to marry him because she didn’t have a reason to say no and they’ve been together forever, but she’s not sure she really wants to.” She groaned and let her head fall back against the wall again. “She wants to know what I think.”

“Oh, wow. That’s a lot of pressure,” Jinora said.

“Tell me about it. I don’t know what to say to her. I just want her to be happy.”

“Doesn’t Iroh make her happy?”

Korra thought for a moment. “She’s content with him.”

“But does he make her happy?” Jinora had hit upon the main problem Korra was having.

“He doesn’t make her unhappy, but…” Korra’s voice trailed off, unable to find words that could convey her thoughts. She ran her hand over the homemade afghan on her bed absentmindedly. 

“But she’s not happy with him and you’re wondering if ‘content’ is good enough for her,” Jinora finished wisely. She grabbed Korra’s hand to still its motion. “Stop. You know I hate that sound.”

Korra took solace in the fact that Jinora held onto her hand even after she had stopped bothering her. “Sorry. I forgot.”

“It’s okay. Anyway, don’t you think that maybe there’s a bigger reason you’re having trouble responding to Asami?”

“Uh…like what exactly?” Korra asked, bewildered. The issue with Asami seemed pretty straightforward to her. 

Jinora closed Korra’s laptop and slid it under the bed so she could throw an arm around Korra’s stomach to cuddle more comfortably. “Come on, Korra.”

Korra frowned as she stroked Jinora’s hair. “I really don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“Think about it. Have you dated anyone since Mako?” 

“…no,” Korra responded, still not sure what Jinora had in mind.

“That was your sophomore year of high school. Doesn’t it seem odd to you that you haven’t even thought about dating anyone since then?” 

Korra’s hand stilled in Jinora’s hair as she contemplated the younger girl’s words. “I have thought about it. There have been a few people I’ve liked.”

Jinora snorted. “Yeah, but not seriously. You haven’t even been on a date since Mako and that was in high school and you just graduated from college. Korra, that’s not normal.”

“So your goal here is to insult me?” Korra was starting to grow agitated. She knew people thought she was weird for not dating, but she had so much else going on. In high school she was too preoccupied with sports to deal with a boyfriend, particularly after the Mako fiasco. Once she went to college she got involved in volunteering with a suicide hotline, which was how she ended up with her current job. Between that, coaching a kids’ soccer team, and her classes, there wasn’t a lot of time for a social life beyond a few friends.

“No. I’m not trying to insult you. Let’s try it this way. How did you feel when Asami was dating Mako?”

“Jinora, you know this story. I was jealous that Mako was with Asami, so I kissed him. We learned pretty quickly that we were better as friends, so we broke up. After that Asami and I started to become friends.”

“So you were jealous that Mako was dating Asami, but you didn’t want to date him?”

Korra let out a choked laugh. “Yes! What more do you want me to say?” She still had no idea what Jinora wanted from her.

“Maybe it wasn’t Mako you liked,” Jinora murmured quietly.

Korra blinked in shock and thought back over the past seven years, the time in which she had known Asami. “You think I like Asami?” Korra asked slowly.

Jinora looked up at her and shook her head sadly. “Oh, Korra. You’re beyond liking her. You’re completely in love with her. Spirits! You’d marry her tomorrow if you thought she’d agree.”

Jinora’s observation struck Korra like a bolt of lightning from her head to her toes. “Shitdamnfuck!” Korra cursed. “I’m in love with Asami Sato! How long have I been in love with her?” she wondered aloud, more to herself than to the girl who was falling asleep beside her.

“Dunno,” Jinora slurred. “I’ve known how you felt since before you graduated from high school.” She let out deep breath, said, “Think about it,” and promptly fell asleep.

So Korra thought.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Things to know about this story:  
> 1\. The title is from the song, "Hiding Place" by Aushua, particularly the lyric:
> 
> "I ain't saying I believe/and I'm not saying you're to blame/But you call this thing love and I don't think they're the same/It's just a hiding place"
> 
> 2\. Daily updates for the first 14 chapters at least. Some will be short and other will be long. Sorry for the inconsistency, but it's the only way that makes sense.
> 
> 3\. There will be two timelines. One is the present and one is the past. In terms of style, think "Annie on My Mind" by Nancy Garden. The plot is entirely different, though.
> 
> 4\. Comments and constructive criticism are very much appreciated. Also, on the off chance the email addresses in this story are actually in use, please refrain from emailing them.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Korra's musings on the events that culminate in meeting her meeting of Asami.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> "The Legend of Korra" is owned by Bryan Konietzko and Michael Dante DiMartino.

Seven Years Ago

I didn’t have an idyllic childhood. My parents never had enough money to take care of me. My father was a disgraced politician who now worked at a gas station and my mother cleaned houses during the day and worked as a janitor in a hospital at night. While they were at work, trying to earn enough to feed me, I was left to fend for myself. When I was younger, I would play outside with the neighborhood kids in our Southern Water Tribe trailer park. I was six when I was found wandering the streets late at night. A neighbor called the police who contacted Child Protective Services and I was whisked off to foster care until my parents could get back on their feet. It was the first of nearly a dozen placements. Try as they might, my parents simply were unable to work and take care of me.

When I was thirteen I was living with them. One night I was left alone, so I walked to my school. I hated school. Everyone treated me like I was nothing because my parents didn’t have money and I was in and out of foster care. Fed up with it all, I broke half the windows in the building before the cops showed up and sent me to a Youth Development Center. Since it was my first offense, I was only at the YDC until they could arrange for an alternative placement in a group home. My caseworker promised I could go home as soon as I finished the six to nine month program.

Two years later, I had long since abandoned hope that I’d be able to go home. I couldn’t stay at the group home forever, so my only option was another series of foster homes. My caseworker had started to find me new placement, but wasn’t having much luck. Not too many foster parents were willing to take a fifteen year old who had felony charges.

“You’ll find a good home,” Kya told me as she brushed my hair in the common room before bed. She was an employee at the group home and since I had been there longer than any other youth, we had gotten close.

I shrugged. “Whatever. I don’t care. I’ll get by fine no matter what. I just need to get out of this place.”

“You’re definitely a survivor,” Kya laughed, but quickly grew serious. “Your impulsivity concerns me, though. I’m afraid someone will make you angry and you’ll wind up back in a YDC, or worse, an adult prison.”

“Who cares? There’s no one who gives a crap about what happens to me.”

Kya pulled the girl against her and hugged her tightly. “You know that’s not true. Your parents love you so much. They’ve tried so hard for you.”

“Then why can’t I go home?” I demanded angrily.

“Because you have a history of getting into trouble when you’re left to your own devices.” 

“But you know I’ll be good this time!” I pled, knowing it wouldn’t make a difference. Even if she wanted to Kya didn’t make decisions regarding my placement. She just took care of the girls in the home.

Kya kissed my head. “It doesn’t work like that, sweetie. C’mon. Let’s talk about something else.”

“Okay. How’s your family?” I asked. Kya had never married or had children of her own, but her brother Tenzin offered her a place in his family. Kya always brought pictures and stories of his three children.

Kya lit up. “They’re great! Pema wants another baby. Did I tell you that?”

I laughed thinking about the chaos this would present. “No! Didn’t Meelo destroy his bedroom last week? How are they going to handle another kid?”

Kya rolled her eyes as she recalled Meelo’s antics. “I don’t know. I suppose that’s why Tenzin isn’t quite on board.” She ran the brush through my hair one more time and said, “There. You’re all done.” 

“Thanks, Kya,” I said. I loved Kya for providing me with some of the only human contact I got.

With a final hug from Kya, I headed to bed. Kya was right when she called me impulsive. So really, I thought, she shouldn’t have been surprised that I packed my few clothes and a picture of my parents into my knapsack, and snuck out the window. The only reasoning I put into my plan was that perhaps Tenzin would accept me as he did Kya.

I jogged to the bus station through the woods that hugged the road. A few miles in, I cursed the person who thought it was a good idea to build a group home in the middle of nowhere. It made getting anywhere on foot rather difficult. Though, I assumed, that was probably the point. I paused for a moment to pull up my hair, apart from my trademark ornamental tubes. I’ve always taken pride in my true Southern Water Tribe heritage, opting to wear the apparel of my people. Even though early fall in the Southern Water Tribe was cold, it was not yet too frigid for my trek through the countryside to be comfortable in my sleeveless attire.

A few hours later, I reached the bus station, a one story building with a single bus parked in front. When I checked the schedule, I found it was supposed to leave for Republic City in the morning. At the group home we weren’t allowed to carry more than a few yuans, certainly not enough to purchase a ticket. I pried open the doors and snuck into a seat near the back. Before long, I fell asleep, exhausted from hours of exercise when I should have been in bed.

When I awoke, the bus was half-full and we were on our way. For the first time I considered that I had made a poor decision, but it was too late to back out now. Either way I was going to get kicked out of the group home and probably get sent to a YDC, so I figured I might as well try to persuade Tenzin to take me in.

By midmorning, we were reaching the outskirts of Republic City. I could see Air Temple Island off in the distance. As soon as the bus reached the first stop, I followed a family off, hoping I blended in well enough for the bus driver to ignore me. It was possible I succeeded or that the man didn’t care to question me. I followed the flow of traffic to the water’s edge. It seemed that taking a ferry was an option, but I didn’t think it was wise to test my luck so many times in one day. Instead of sneaking on, I decided to swim. For a Southern Water Tribe girl, a half-mile swim was nothing. I stashed my backpack under a rock so that I would not ruin my photo. After half a second of thought, I took off my shoes and added them to my bag as well. There was no sense in ruining my only pair. Hopefully I’d be able to retrieve it later. I waded into the water and began to swim with strong strokes. The water was bitter cold, much colder than I had expected. In just over 25 minutes, my knees bottomed out and I crawled the rest of the way to shore, shivering. I knew I was mildly hypothermic and needed to get warm quickly, but I was too cold to care. It was the stupid option, but I fell to the ground and shook violently. Just a few minutes to catch my breath, I promised myself.

“Daddy, daddy! There’s a dead girl on the beach!” a voice shouted right by my head.

I jumped and opened my eyes. A familiar little boy was leaning over top of me. “Meelo,” I whispered.

“Argh! Daddy! The dead girl knows my name!” he shrieked and ran away.

Before long, it was Tenzin who was leaning over me. “Are you alright?” he asked.

“J-j-just cold,” I stammered as he helped me to my feet.

He took off his strange orange cloak and wrapped it around me. “You know, swimming in the bay this time of year isn’t the best idea.”

“Y-yeah. I figured that out.” I rolled my eyes. 

He fixed me with a scrutinizing look as he led me toward his house. “Do I know you?”

“Uh…” I couldn’t quite figure out an appropriate response to that question. 

Tenzin gasped. “Korra?!” 

“You know my name?” I was astonished. How could Tenzin know who I was?

“Kya called early this morning and said you ran. Why did you do that to her? Don’t you know how much she wanted you to succeed?” 

The worst part was that Tenzin didn’t sound angry. He was just disappointed. He didn’t even know me and already I’d disappointed him. 

“Look. I’ve got nothing. There’s no one who wants me. There’s nowhere for me to go.” I didn’t really expect Tenzin to understand. 

“So you came to Republic City and swam to Air Temple Island because…” 

“I hoped you would let me stay with you,” I muttered. It sounded ridiculous now that I said it aloud. 

Tenzin blinked at me in astonishment. “What?” 

“Kya always talks about how great you are. She tells me stories about Jinora, Ikki, and Meelo every time she works. I know she doesn’t have a family and you let her be a part of yours and I thought since you’re the perfect family, you’d let me be a part of it as well. Can I please stay with you?” I was embarrassed by how desperate I sounded.

Tenzin sighed. “Let’s go get you cleaned up and into some dry clothes.” 

“Does that mean I can stay?” 

“It means that I need to make a dozen phone calls to let people know where you are. Then I will talk to Pema to see what she thinks. If we both agree to let you stay, there are still many steps we will have to take before we can become foster parents, provided your caseworker thinks we would be a suitable placement.” 

“Oh,” I muttered. It sounded like I was going to a YDC no matter what. “I’m really sorry about this.” My apology was more of a token than something heartfelt, but I figured it was better than nothing. 

Tenzin pulled me close to him. “It’s okay, kid. I know you’ve had a rough time of it.” 

Together we went inside. Over the next several hours I met Pema and the kids, showered, dressed in the strange orange garments of the Air Nation, and talked to a bunch of people who told me I was in a lot of trouble (as if I didn’t already know). Because I couldn’t legally stay with Tenzin and his family, I found out I was going to have to spend the night in Republic City jail until someone from the Southern Water Tribe could come escort me home.

That was a devastating blow. The last thing I needed was to add adult prison to my record of placements. Pema let me call my parents while we were waiting for someone to come pick me up, but their phones had been shut off.

“I’m so sorry, honey,” Pema told me as she placed some pastries in front of me. “I thought that might make you feel better.” 

I shrugged and tried a bun. It was delicious. “It’s okay. I didn’t expect to get ahold of them. They can’t pay the bills sometimes. I’m used to it.” 

Pema shook her head and was about to say something when there was a rap on the door. 

“I’m here for the kid,” came a short voice from the door. I looked up and saw a steel-haired woman with a scar over her eye. She was wearing a police uniform.

“Lin. Come on in. I’ll go get Tenzin. Help yourself to some pastries.”

Lin stepped through the door and sat across from me at the table. I expected to be reprimanded, but instead, she picked up a pastry puff and methodically pulled it apart. To my surprise, she didn’t bother to eat it. 

“Not a fan of pastries?” I asked, trying to make conversation. 

“Not a fan of Pema.” It was hard to tell, but that was what it sounded like Lin said. I couldn’t imagine why. Pema seemed wonderful! Clearly I was missing some history here.

Tenzin returned to the kitchen sans Pema whom I assumed was either hiding from Lin or taking care of the kids. “Hi, Lin. I see you’ve met Korra.” 

“We haven’t officially been introduced,” I said, holding out my hand. It seemed to be impossible, but I hoped to get on this woman’s good side. Who knew how long I’d be stuck in her care. 

Lin grasped my hand in a firm shake. “Lin Beifong, Chief of Police. You’ve made a rather dramatic entrance to Republic City.”

I wanted to make a joke, but it didn’t seem that Lin had much of a sense of humor, so I just smiled weakly. 

“Okay, Korra. You’re going to go with Lin. Hopefully within a day or so you’ll hear something about where you’re headed next.” Tenzin’s words were less than encouraging. Still, I supposed it was my fault that things turned out the way they did. 

I followed Lin out the door without saying goodbye. Lin kindly allowed me to grab my belongings on the mainland, mainly because I was barefoot; no one in Tenzin’s family had shoes my size. Before long I was locked up in a single cell in Republic City jail. My cell had a bed, a sink, and a toilet. It was cleaner than I had expected, albeit devoid of stimulating activity. With nothing to do, I lay on my bed and thought about how much of an idiot I was. Guards brought me food every couple of hours and I fell asleep that night without knowing anything more about my placement. 

The next several days passed in much the same fashion. Tenzin had been overly optimistic when he said I would know something within a day. Clearly he had not had a lot of contact with child welfare services. Nothing ever took just a day. I’d be lucky if I had a placement in a week. 

I was surprised when a guard unlocked my cell and said, “You have a visitor.”

Who would come to visit me? Surely if it were my caseworker they would have told me to grab my belongings. I followed to guard into a conference room. 

“Tenzin?” I asked in disbelief. 

Tenzin smiled easily at me. “Hey, kid. How’re you doing?” 

I shrugged and sat across from him at the table. “I’m okay.” And I was. I was clean, fed, and healthy. Legally they were obligated to provide me with schooling, but I was guessing they hadn’t quite worked out the logistics of that, which was just fine with me so I didn’t mention it. 

“I wanted to talk to you more about your plan,” Tenzin said hesitantly. 

“My plan?” What plan? If the events that had transpired didn’t scream, I have no plan! I didn’t know what did. 

“Well, Pema and I talked and we’re willing to have you come live with us. We contacted some people and have started the process to become foster parents. We’ve found an agency, had our home study, had background checks run, and completed the Diana Screen. They fast-tracked us because they don’t know where else to send you. As soon as we rearrange the bedrooms, you’re all set to move in with us. Before we do that, though, I wanted to talk with you further to get to know you better so I know it’s a good fit.”

I stared at him. Did he just say that I could move in with them? My heart clenched. This was it. This was the moment I had been dreaming of for the past two years. I needed this to go well. I was terrified it wouldn’t. I put on my most convincing bravado. I would be confident, but not cocky. Above all, I would be cooperative. “Okay. What do you need to know?” 

Tenzin smiled at me as though he could see right through my act. “Well, first of all, are you still interested in staying with us?” 

“Yes, sir,” I said immediately. If there was anything he needed to know it was that I desperately wanted to live with them. 

“That’s good to hear. Why don’t you tell me about yourself? What do you like to do for fun? I hear you’re a pretty good athlete.” 

“Yes, sir!” I was a great athlete, but my skills were unappreciated at the group home. “I love to play soccer. It’s my passion.” It was the only place where I was an equal to everyone else, where merit was based on skill and not who your parents were. “I also play the euphonium.” 

Tenzin laughed. I must have let my offense show through my façade because he held up a placating hand. “Sorry,” he said. “I just wasn’t expecting that. I don’t know many people who play the euphonium.” 

I grinned at him. “I wanted to play the tuba, but I was too little.” 

He smiled back at me, but it faded a bit. “I hear you’ve had some trouble with fighting in school and in placements.”

Yes. That was certainly true. I had a temper, and as Kya had said, I was impulsive. It didn’t help that the kids bullied me and the teachers didn’t give me the time of day. Not trusting my voice, I nodded. 

Tenzin seemed to guess what I wasn’t telling him and reached across the table to take my hand. “Korra, we’d rather know what we’re getting into so we know what to expect rather than expecting a perfect kid and being unpleasantly surprised when problems arise. Please talk to me.” 

So I told him about all of the trouble I had had in school and in placements. I was no stranger to fists, so I learned to hit people before they hit me. I told him I hated being the foster kid among kids who lived with their birth parents. I told him that I never had anyone to comfort me, so I learned to take care of myself. I told him that I rarely let myself think too hard about anything because if I did, I would have to deal with the fact that no one loved me. It was easier to not think. 

Tenzin smiled at me sadly. “Korra,” he said. “Pema, the kids, and I would love it if you came to live with us. You’d start school tomorrow. I can’t promise it will be perfect, but I can promise that there are other foster kids at Republic City High School and that there are teachers there who will understand. You’ll be in an emotional support program, so a few hours a week you’ll be pulled out of class to get some one-on-one instruction to help you work on the impulsivity.” 

I rolled my eyes about that. I was no stranger to emotional support. In my experience it was a waste of time, though it did get me out of class and sometimes the teacher gave me candy. 

“I think you’ll find it helpful,” Tenzin told me, once again reading my expression that was never as blank as I wanted it to be. “The teacher is my mother, Katara. She’s famous here for helping students to heal.”

That was interesting and also manipulative because I’d have to give her a chance to repay her for how much her children had done for me. Oh well, it was better than staying in jail. “That sounds good,” I told him. 

“Great. Let’s go grab your belongings and bust out of this joint!”

I groaned at how cliché and corny he sounded.

“What? I’ve always wanted to say that!” 

By that night I was settled into my own room. Jinora and Ikki would be sharing, which they weren’t too pleased about. I resolved to be a good big sister to make up for the inconvenience. The room was tiny; the Air Nation was obviously not big on personal possessions, but I had almost no belongings, so that wouldn’t be an issue. I was touched when Pema helped me make up the bed. I told her I’d made a thousand beds in my lifetime, but she insisted. She even told me about how her grandmother had crocheted the afghan I would use as a bedspread. 

“Do you have any belongings with your parents or at a previous placement?” Pema asked me as she watched me unpack my three t-shirts, two pairs of jeans, and a smattering of undergarments. 

I thought about it. “I have a bunch of clothes at the group home that I’d like to have back if possible. Nothing from my parents’ place. Except…” I trailed off, unsure if it was all right for me to ask for this.

“Except…” Pema repeated, motioning for me to continue. 

“I don’t know if they still have her,” I said in a rush. “I had a puppy named Naga when I lived with them last. She was my first pet. I trained her and everything, but then I got arrested. I don’t know what happened to her after that.” 

Pema looked pensive as if she were weighing the pros and cons of having a dog in the house. “I’ll call your caseworker tomorrow to see if he can track down your stuff, Naga included,” she decided. 

“Really?” I asked, amazed.

“Really.” She smiled at me. “Now, let’s go get ready for dinner.” 

Dinner that night was a noisy affair, as I’d expected it would be after hearing all of Kya’s stories. The three kids grilled me about myself. Ikki loved my hair and wanted me to help her do hers after dinner. Jinora politely declined, citing her devotion to her heritage. Personally, I thought she was still smarting about losing her room. That was fine. We bonded over our mutual love of books. Meelo demanded I play soccer with him. It was clear that my time at their home would be spent entertaining children. After a lifetime of loneliness, nothing sounded more appealing. 

Pema and Tenzin talked to me about my schedule for school. They’d signed me up for band after I told Tenzin I played the euphonium. I would also be taking sophomore level English, math, biology, and history. 

I tentatively asked about extra curriculars. “What about soccer? Would I be allowed to try out for the team?” 

“You’re welcome to play sports, honey, but the girls’ soccer team plays in the spring in Republic City,” Pema informed me as she ate her vegetarian stir-fry. 

That was disappointing. I’d been hoping to make some friends on the team. 

“You could always try cross-country,” Tenzin offered, helpfully. “I’ve heard you have a knack for running.” 

Forks clattered against plates as everyone fell into silence. I couldn’t believe Tenzin had made such a rude comment. It was worse than if he had punched me. “May I be excused?” I asked quietly. 

Tenzin looked at me in shock. “Oh, Korra. I’m so sorry! I didn’t mean it the way it sounded. I just meant that Kya told me your greatest strength on the soccer field is your endurance. You might find a place on the cross-country team. That’s all.” 

“Oh.” I felt a little better now that he corrected himself, but I placed my fork beside my plate, no longer hungry. “That sounds like a good idea. I think I’ll look into it tomorrow.” 

It took a few minutes before the children had recovered from the uncomfortable moment, but soon they were as noisy as before. I was still quiet, so after dinner Pema let me call Kya.

“Hello?” she answered, sounding garbled as cell phones always did in the Southern Water Tribe where reception was minimal. 

“Kya?” I said, my voice trembling.

“Korra! I’m so happy to hear your voice. Tenzin said you’re staying with him. Are you okay?”

“I’m okay,” I promised. “I just wanted to talk to someone familiar. I’m really sorry about running. I didn’t think about how it would hurt you.” 

“Sweetie, it’s okay. It sounds like everything worked out in the end. Do you know how lucky you are?” 

I wasn’t sure on what level she meant that question. I knew I was lucky to end up with Tenzin and his family. I also knew that runaway kids often are subject to human trafficking and I was lucky nothing like that happened to me. Either way, I said, “Yes, Kya.” 

“Okay, Korra. I have to go now. Make sure to stay in touch. I love you, sweetie.” 

“Love you too, Kya.” 

I hung up, my eyes burning. It had been so long since anyone had told me they loved me. I took a minute to regain my composure before I found Pema to return the phone. 

“No, honey. The phone is for you. It’s not a smartphone, but you can call and text. We wanted to make sure you had a way to let us know where you were and to keep in touch with your friends.”

I gaped at her. “Pema, I can’t accept this. I won’t be able to afford the bill.” 

“Don’t worry about it. You need a phone. It’s a matter of safety. Consider it a gift.” 

“Thanks,” I whispered. 

I spent the next few hours making good on my promises to the kids. By bedtime, I was exhausted from the day’s events and fell asleep the minute I crawled under the covers.

 

…

 

The next morning passed in a blur. Pema placed a bowl of oatmeal in front of me and started to explain how I would get free school lunches because I was in foster care. 

Before she could get too far, I stopped her. “Pema, I’ve been through this before. I know how it works. I’m assuming it’s keyed into my ID card or through my ID number?” 

Pema nodded. “They’ll issue you your ID card when you go through the office. Tenzin will go with you to make sure you find everything okay.” 

“That’s not necessary,” I said out of obligation. Of course it would be better if he walked me in. I didn’t know anything about this place; I’d never so much as seen the building. Having him beside me would save me a lot of stress. 

“Don’t be ridiculous. Of course he’ll take you. Besides, I’m pretty sure it’s a legal obligation that parents sign in their children on their first days.” 

“Or caseworkers,” I muttered. 

Pema shot me an enigmatic look. “Perhaps, but today it will be Tenzin.” 

Tenzin drove me in his entirely electric silver Satomobile. The Air Nation was serious about minimizing their environmental impact. On the way to school Tenzin told me that he normally rode his bike to his government job. Obviously that wasn’t an option today. The ferry ride over was interesting. I’d never been on a car on a boat, so that was a new experience.

Republic City High was only a ten minute drive from the ferry, so before long Tenzin pulled neatly into a spot in front. “Ready?”

“Yeah.” And I was. I’d had first days partway through the school year before. The trick was to expect the day to utterly suck. Most times you got what you expected, but sometimes you were pleasantly surprised. 

My entire previous school building could have fit inside the lobby. It was also much more high tech and security conscious. Tenzin had to buzz into the office for them to let us inside. Once we were in sort of a holding area, they asked us who we were before they buzzed us into the actual office. 

They handed Tenzin some papers to sign and gave me a map, my schedule, and my ID card. The office lady explained things like the dress code and fire drills that sounded important, but which I didn’t bother to listen to. I was too engrossed in mapping out my route between my classes. 

A bell rang and the office lady said, “That’s the first bell. You ordinarily have four minutes to get to class, but I’ll take you to your locker and then make sure you get to your first class okay. Say goodbye to your dad.” 

I looked at the lady like she was crazy. I was the epitome of a Water Tribe girl: dark skin, dark hair, and the clothes to match. Tenzin was dressed in his usual Air Nation garb and with his bald head, pale skin, and arrow tattoos, could not possibly look more different from me. 

Tenzin raised his eyes at the woman and shook his head in disbelief, but hugged me anyway. “No fighting,” he murmured in my ear. 

“I won’t. Promise.” I said, pulling back. He was obviously not used to hugging people and it made me uncomfortable.

The office lady handed me a lock with the combination and a stack of textbooks to go with my map and schedule. I carefully balanced them in my arms and followed her to a locker bay. I opened the locker, threw in my Biology and History books, and locked it up. The lady led me to my first class: English. 

Along the way I recited my schedule in my head. English, Math, Band, Lunch, Biology, History. Done. English, Math, Band, Lunch, Biology, History. Done. English, Math, Band, Lunch, Biology, History. Done. 

We arrived at my English class. A glance at my map told me my math class was right next door, so that was convenient. Next came the part of the day I dreaded most: introductions. Office lady opened the door and everyone stared at me. A man in Water Tribe apparel and a pointed mustache ran up to me. “You must be the new student! You must be Korra! Tell me, Korra, do you adore Shakespeare? What’s your favorite play? Who’s your favorite character?” 

“Uh…” I faltered. This was new as far as introductions went. I glanced at office lady only to find that she had already left. 

“Too slow!” the teacher exclaimed. “You’ll have to be faster if you want to keep up with the class!” 

Well, that wasn’t daunting at all. 

He held out a hand. “I’m Varrick. As you can tell, we’re studying Shakespeare right now. We’re reading Julius Caesar. Actually, we’re acting it out rather than reading it because the class thought that would be more fun.” 

A glance at the class told me that it was Varrick who thought it would be more fun. “Great,” I said since he was staring at me and seemed to be expecting a response. Why wouldn’t he let me sit down and disappear into the background? 

Eventually he blinked and said, “Sit! I’m through with you! Class, turn to page 157.” 

I sat down in an empty desk toward the back behind an Earth Kingdom guy. He offered me a smile. After that, the class ran smoothly. They talked about symbolism and acted out a small part of the play. Fortunately, I was allowed to just listen. 

The bell rang, sending me to my math class. Earth Kingdom guy followed me. Because I wasn’t late, I was able to introduce myself to my Algebra II teacher, Miss Moon. She explained that we were still reviewing some things from Algebra I like systems of equations, inequalities, and functions. That was good to hear. I knew I could use the review. Miss Moon directed me to a seat and started class without drawing attention to me. Again, class passed without incident. Earth Kingdom guy sat across the room in this class.

The bell rang again, which meant it was time for band (Band, Lunch, Biology, History. Done). I sprinted to my locker and threw in my English and Math books. I didn’t want to have to carry them if I didn’t have to, particularly because I didn’t know where the band room was and needed a free hand to look at my map; however, a thorough scouring of the map assured me it wasn’t on there. 

Great. I thought. I’ll have to ask someone.

I stopped a Water Tribe guy with bizarre emo hair heading in my direction and said, “Excuse me, can you tell me where the band room is?”

“It’s on the fourth floor, newbie,” he said with a crooked grin. 

“Thanks,” I said, genuinely grateful, and headed toward a stairwell. 

Before I could get more than a few steps, Earth Kingdom guy grabbed my arm. “Tahno, don’t be an ass. It’s her first day.” 

The Water Tribe guy’s smile slipped off his face. “Butting in where you don’t belong again, Bolin? Didn’t you learn the last time?” 

“Piss off,” Bolin retorted and dragged me down the hall away from Tahno. 

“What was that?” I asked.

Bolin shook his head. “Some people think it’s funny to send new kids to the fourth floor. We only have three floors, but if you find the right stairwell, you’ll be able to get up a fourth flight of stairs that leads to the roof. It sets off an alarm and the students who trip it are automatically suspended. I thought I’d save you the trouble.” 

I started shaking in rage. I imagined myself running back through the halls, grabbing Tahno by his stupid hair, and pummeling him into the ground. 

“Whoa, there.” Bolin said. “They tend to frown upon you killing someone on your first day.” 

“Sorry,” I muttered. He was right. I needed to calm down and move on. “Can you point me to the band room?” 

“Of course,” he said. “I’m Bolin, by the way.” 

“Yeah. I heard. Korra.” I offered a hand for him to shake. 

Like most people of the Earth Kingdom, Bolin was stocky with muscular shoulders and arms and a thick neck. He wasn’t bad looking, but he wasn’t particularly attractive either. His grip was pretty strong. 

Rather than up the stairs, he led me down to the first floor to a small hallway off of the main lobby. Without his help, I would never have found it. “Thanks!” I said to him, offering him a small smile. It wasn’t much, but after Tahno, it was the best I could manage.

“No problem! Do you have lunch after this?”

“Yes.”

“Cool. I have study hall right now, but I’ll meet you here afterwards and we can walk over together if you want.” 

I almost melted in relief. “Yes! Thank you so much!” There is nothing worse than having to sit by yourself in the lunchroom unless it is awkwardly asking if you can sit with someone. 

“Cool. I’ll see you then. Bye, Korra.” 

It seemed like I had made a friend, or at least someone friendly. My smile was more genuine as I entered the band room. 

The band director introduced himself as Bumi, Tenzin and Kya’s brother. He seemed just as helpful and caring as his siblings as he pointed me to a school euphonium I could use and asked if I had my mouthpiece. I didn’t. It wasn’t something I thought to bring as I ran away from the group home. He grabbed me one from his office and said I could borrow it for as long as I needed to. 

I looked it over. It wasn’t as nice as mine, but it was serviceable. I knelt down next to the shelf with the euphonium I would be using and unlatched the case. It was a school instrument for sure, but I knew it would play fine. I grabbed it out of its case, stuck my mouthpiece in and hurried back to Bumi’s office. 

“Treble or bass clef?” he asked, referring to how I preferred to read my music. 

“Either,” I said with a nonchalant grin. I had learned to read treble clef, but in recent years had been transitioning to bass clef. 

Bumi raised his eyebrows at me, looking for the first time like his brother. “Interesting. Sounds like we’ve got quite a player on our hands.” 

I shrugged modestly and he patted me on the shoulder before telling me to grab a chair and music stand, and sit beside the only other euphonium player. I squeezed my way between her and the tubas, figuring I’d be sitting second chair since Bumi had never heard me play and I didn’t know how good the girl was. 

I got situated and opened my music folder. There were only two pieces inside, which wasn’t surprising considering it was still early in the school year. I laughed under my breath when I saw what they were. Shortcut Home was a tricky piece for woodwinds and a joke for brass players. I’d played it the year before. My band director was obsessed with it, which meant lots of free periods for the brass players while the woodwinds struggled with the lengthy sixteenth note runs. Russian Christmas Music was one of my all-time favorite pieces. We had played a dumbed down version in middle school and I was really looking forward to playing the real version. 

“Wow, bass clef!” the other euphonium player said. “I’m still playing treble clef. Bumi is always trying to convert me, but I keep telling him I don’t have time to learn it.”

I looked over and then up at the girl sitting next to me. She was tall; even sitting down I could tell that. She had a Fire Nation look to her, dressed in a fitted red tee with a black vest, black skinny jeans, and tall leather boots. I didn’t know what was most stunning about her, her light-green eyes or her thick raven black hair that nearly reached her waist. Either way, she was beautiful. Spirits, was she beautiful! I’d never seen anyone so beautiful before or anyone so young who had such a good grasp of makeup. Her painted red lips cast a striking contrast to her pale skin. 

I must have been staring at her because she looked uncertain and said, “Um…I’m Asami.” She held out her hand. 

It took me a few seconds to remember myself and just as she began to withdraw her hand, I reached out and grabbed it. “Hey. I’m Korra.” 

“Nice to meet you, Korra. Are you new to school or new to band?” 

“School,” I told her. “I moved here from the Southern Water Tribe.” 

Asami’s eyes widened. “Wow. That must be an adjustment.”

“You have no idea,” I said, thinking about the differences between the group home and Tenzin’s. 

Just as she was about to ask why I’d moved (I could tell that’s where the conversation was headed), Bumi stepped up on the podium and waved his baton to get everyone’s attention. “Okay, everyone! We have a new student with us. Her name is Korra and she plays the euphonium.” 

I waved vaguely to the class and they smiled halfheartedly back. What did Bumi expect them to do? Applaud?

“Korra, we place a great deal of emphasis on the basics here. We spend time on scales and long tones. You’ll become familiar with both; don’t worry. May I ask how many scales you know?” 

Everyone turned to look at me and I could feel my cheeks redden. Hopefully my dark complexion would hide it. “Uh…all twelve major scales.” 

“Wow. Really?” Bumi exclaimed. “Could you play one for us?”

What was with this guy? Didn’t he know it was my first day and all I wanted to do was blend in until I figured things out? 

“No.”

The whole band laughed. Bumi started talking about how playing in front of people was something they all needed to become more comfortable with. Asami tapped me on the arm to get my attention and shot me a grin. “You’re going to fit right in.” 

The rest of my day was a blur, but I did find out that Bolin and his brother were also in foster care. Both of their parents had died when they were little and they had bounced around from home to home just like I had. Recently they’d settled in with Mako’s girlfriend: Asami.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is an example of a long chapter. Tomorrow's will be much shorter (the shortest of the story, in fact). This story will alternate between the past and present timelines.
> 
> Comments and constructive criticism are appreciated!


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Gap filler between the two "seven years ago" chapters.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> "The Legend of Korra" is owned by Bryan Konietzko and Michael Dante DiMartino.

**Present Day**

Now that Korra thought about it, she had had a crush on Asami from the moment they met. Before then, she had never really liked anyone. It wasn’t prudent to let herself be attracted to someone, and realistically, there wasn’t a whole lot of dating in the group home. As she had told Jinora, Korra had liked a few other girls beside Asami, though until now she hadn’t really thought of it that way. They had just been good friends.

“Am I gay?” she wondered aloud. 

Jinora shifted on top of her, rubbing sleep out of her eyes. “Hmm?” she asked sleepily.

“Am I gay?” Korra repeated. Despite her mild internal panic, she looked fondly down at the girl whose attempts to wake up reminded her of a cat. 

“Maybe.” Jinora stretched and yawned loudly, the tattoo arrow on her forehead disappearing into her hair. “But it seems to me you’re a one-woman woman. Asami’s the only one you’ve ever really wanted.”

“Hmm,” Korra unwittingly echoed Jinora. Again, Jinora was right. All of the other girls she liked reminded her of Asami either in looks, interests, or personality. Really, it was too late to have gay panic. She’d been so tied to Asami for so long that Asami had become a part of her. It was just a reality at this point.

A dreamy look crossed Jinora’s face. “Asami’s your one true love.”

For all her wisdom, Jinora was still just a teenager. Korra didn’t believe in “one true love,” but she did have a point. Korra had been hung up on Asami since her first day of Republic City High. It had certainly caused some drama...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Tomorrow's chapter is longer. I promise!


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Continuing with the "seven years ago" timeline, Korra gets to know Asami a little better.

**Seven Years Ago**

“Hey, Korra,” Asami greeted me as I sat beside her, ready to work on the holiday medley Bumi had selected for our winter concert.

“Hey.” After my first few weeks at school I had begun to settle in. I ate lunch each day with Bolin and his brother, Mako. Unlike Bolin, Mako was all Fire Nation in appearance. He had pale skin, dark hair, and his clothing favored reds and blacks. He also had the pointiest eyebrows I had ever seen. Every time I saw Mako and Asami together in the halls, jealousy shot through me.

Apart from this minor difficulty, things were going well. Tenzin was right. I did have a talent for cross-country. I had quickly become one of the top runners on the team and in Republic City. Even better, I had made a few friends on the team. Opal Beifong was fast becoming one of my best friends. She was also a best friend of Asami. Any time Opal would mention Asami, my heart would thump painfully and my stomach would turn over. I chalked up the longing I felt to a desire to be friends with Asami.

That was something I didn’t think would ever happen. No matter how nice Asami was, I couldn’t seem to respond to her with more than a word or two. It was embarrassing. I had tried to talk to Katara about it when she pulled me out for Emotional Support, but she just smiled knowingly and said it was something I’d have to work out for myself. She was more concerned with getting me to feel and recognize my feelings so I would be less impulsive. I didn’t know if it was helping or if I was in a good place, but I hadn’t yet gotten in any fights. Apart from the first day, I hadn’t even felt the urge to fight.

Tenzin and Pema told me they were proud of me for keeping my temper. They also came to all of my meets. It was a wonderful feeling to have people come to watch me because they cared about me and not because they were legally obligated to keep me in their line of vision.

“So,” Asami began, “I hear you’re quiet the runner.”

I grinned bashfully and shrugged. “I guess.”

“Are you thinking about running track in the spring? We’d love to have you.” Everyone knew that Asami was a track star. She had gotten second in Republic City for high jump the previous year and she was a tremendous hurdler as well. With her height, that wasn’t any surprise.

“Sort of,” I told her. I was considering running track in the spring because it would give me the opportunity to spend more time with Asami. That was a stupid reason, though. “I’m probably going to play soccer.”

“A soccer player, huh?” Asami looked me up and down. “Yeah. I suppose you’re built like a soccer player. You definitely have the soccer thighs.”

I gaped at her. Was she checking me out? Wait a minute. Did she just say I was fat?

My astonishment must have shown because Asami looked horrified and hid behind her euphonium. “Muscular. Your legs are muscular. That’s what I meant. I swear I’m usually better at communicating than this.”

She was. Not only was Asami a great athlete, she was also brilliant. She was the president of several different organizations, including the engineering club, the business associates, and the debate team. She was being groomed to take over her father’s company, Future Industries. They were the leading producer of some sort of innovative technologies. Basically, Asami was almost perfect. She was good at sports, brilliant, rich, beautiful, and had a hot boyfriend. However, in my observations of her, it also seemed like she was lonely. Mako, Bolin, and Opal seemed like they were her only companions. Granted, they were my only friends as well, so I didn’t have room to judge.

“It’s okay,” I told her. I was just excited that she had noticed me. Sometimes I felt like she was so far above me I didn’t even live in her world. This was my first inkling that I existed to her.

Bumi took the podium. “Okay, let’s tune.” The first chair clarinet played a concert B-flat followed by a concert-F for the French horns. The usual chaos ensued as everyone played their respective pitch and adjusted their instruments. My horn had a tendency to play sharp, not helped by the hot band room. I pulled my tuning slide out the whole way and sighed as it slid back in. It looked like today I would be adjusting my embouchure instead of my instrument. It wasn’t ideal, but it was the plight of school instruments. I grinned ruefully at Asami. My lack of ability to get my instrument to cooperate was a running joke.

“Switch with me,” she said to me over the din.

We swapped instruments. I watched to see what she was planning. She pulled out a notebook and ripped a small piece of paper. She tugged the tuning slide out of the instrument, fighting through the resistance it put up at the very end. She wrapped the paper around the end of the tuning slide, the slide grease and ever-present spit holding it in place, and put it back in.

“Here you go!” Asami said cheerfully and handed my instrument back to me.

Like any time she spoke to me, I stared at her, though this time I felt it was justified. “Wow. You really are an engineer!”

Asami snorted in amusement at my conclusion and flipped her hair over her shoulder. “That wasn’t engineering. It was pure awesome. Or maybe it was just simple problem solving.”

“Still,” I said. “I’m impressed.”

Bumi glared at us just then, so we had to stop talking and pay attention for the rest of the period. As we were putting our instruments away, Asami spoke. “Hey, listen. I’m having a few friends over this weekend. You should come.”

My heart started pounding and I could feel red creeping into my cheeks. “Uh…I’ll have to check with Tenz—my parents. Can you text me the information?”

“Sure. I’ll have Mako get your number from Bolin. I hope you’ll be able to make it!”

She was seriously the nicest person ever. Plus, I had temporarily forgotten about Mako. I’d finally get to spend time with him!

“Me too.”

 

…

Tenzin and Pema were more than willing to let me go over to a friend’s house. They jumped at any opportunity for me to have a normal life, but not without putting me through a traditional concerned parent routine.

“Who invited you?” Pema asked.

“Asami. I sit next to her in band. She’s dating Bolin’s brother.”

Tenzin looked up from the tea Pema had fixed him when he arrived home from work. The three children were outside playing, giving him a rare moment of quiet. “Asami Sato?” he asked with mild surprise.

“Yes.” Given Asami’s father’s success it wasn’t all that surprising that Tenzin had heard of her.

“Wow. You’re only here a few weeks and already you’re rubbing elbows with one of the most influential up-and-comers. Asami’s a good friend for you to have. She has a good head on her shoulders.”

I snorted. “Yeah, Tenzin. That’s what I like about her—her power and her focus.”

Pema let out a laugh, but quickly covered her mouth. Tenzin frowned up at her. He didn’t like being teased for his political savvy. “It’s never too early to think about making connections,” he defended.

“Of course not, dear, but maybe we can focus on the matter at hand?” Pema gently directed him.

“Yeah!” I agreed. “So I can go?”

Pema and Tenzin glanced at one another. “Will Hiroshi be there?”

I shrugged. How was I supposed to know that? It’s not like my first thought to getting invited to go somewhere was, “Will a responsible adult be around?” I decided it would be wise to tone down the attitude for Pema and Tenzin, though. “I don’t know. She didn’t mention anything about either of her parents. When she texts me with the details, I’ll ask her. Okay?”

“That sounds fair,” Tenzin conceded. “Keep us informed.”

I made to head outside to play with the kids, but Pema stopped me with a touch on the arm. “Honey, it’s only Asami and Hiroshi. Her mother died when Asami was just a little girl.”

“Oh.” I hadn’t known that and I didn’t really know how to respond.

“I just didn’t want you to end up putting your foot in your mouth.” Pema kissed my head. “Go play. Dinner’s in half an hour. I’ll ring the bell when it’s ready.”

 

…

Later that night I got a text from an unknown number that turned out to be Asami.

Asami: _Hey Korra! It’s Asami._

Me: _Hey!_

Asami: _The plan is to meet at my house at 7 on Sat._

Me: _Ok. I can do that._

Asami: _Nice! Do you need a ride?_

Me: _No. I have one._

Me: _Oh. I almost forgot. Will your dad be around? I was supposed to ask._

Asami: _Protective parents, huh? He’ll be home._

Me: _Yeah, but I don’t mind. I’ll let them know. Should I bring anything?_

Asami: _Just yourself. See you tomorrow, Korra._

Me: _Later_

I grinned and ran into the living room to share the news with Tenzin and Pema.

 

…

It was Pema who offered to drive me to Asami’s. Tenzin wanted to work on meditation techniques with his three children. I felt lucky to avoid it. On the way over, I ventured to ask her about my feelings for Mako.

“Hey Pema?” I began. “What do you do if you think you might like someone, but he’s with someone else?”

“Well,” she said slowly as she pulled carefully onto the ferry. “I think it depends. Are you sure you like him? Is he happy with the girl he’s with? Do you want to be with him?”

“I don’t really know him well enough to answer any of those questions.”

“Will he be there tonight?” she asked. I nodded. “Then try talking to him to see if you actually do like him. If you find you do, you should tell him because he might like you back.”

I thought about that. “Even if he’s with someone?”

“Tenzin was with Lin Beifong when I told him I wanted to be with him. I don’t mean to imply that it’s always the best decision to break up a couple, but there are cases when it’s justified as long as you’re willing to accept the consequences.”

“So that’s why she doesn’t like you!” I exclaimed. Suddenly it all made sense.

Pema laughed and then we lapsed into silence for the rest of the trip. I closed my eyes as I thought about Pema’s words. She was right. I should talk to Mako. Hopefully that would go better than trying to talk to Asami. I was usually better at talking to guys than girls.

“We’re here,” Pema said, bringing the car to a stop.

I sat up and looked out my window. “Whoa,” I whispered. We were stopped at the gate of what was easily the biggest house I had ever seen. “She lives here?”

Pema chuckled and rolled down her window to buzz the intercom. “What did you expect? Her father owns and runs the most successful business in the world.”

“I guess I never thought about it.” I was usually more concerned about not looking like an idiot when I talked with Asami to wonder about where she lived. If I was thinking about her, I was busy remembering how brilliant and funny she was and how much of fool I had made out of myself that day (it happened an embarrassing amount).

The gate opened without Pema having to say anything. Asami must have told someone I was coming. Pema drove slowly up the drive and stopped in front of the door. “Text me when you’re ready to come home, okay?” I nodded. “No drinking, no drugs, no fighting, no vandalizing. If something gets out of hand, you leave and text me.” I nodded again. “I need verbal recognition.”

“I promise, Pema!” I exclaimed with frustration. I wasn’t going to do anything wrong. I’d probably be too afraid of breaking something expensive that I’d forget to breathe.

I hopped out of the car before Pema could put a moratorium upon talking and ran up the steps. There was a giant brass knocker and a doorbell. _Ah_ , _the eternal dilemma. Should I knock or ring the bell?_ I thought. Before I could do either, the ten foot oak door swung open to reveal a giant foyer and a man in a servant’s uniform.

“Uh…” I faltered, not sure what to do. I had never met a servant before, unless you counted my mother. “Asami invited me?”

He stood aside. “Please, come in. Asami and her friends are in the den. It’s right through there.” He gestured to a hallway on my right.

I kind of wished he would walk with me. I felt incredibly out of place in this house. The sconces alone were probably worth more than I’d make in my entire life. That’s a depressing thought when you’re fifteen years old.

The den was not difficult to find, particularly because I could just follow the laughter. At least I wouldn’t be alone with Asami. That would have been uncomfortable. I entered the room and was tackled by what felt like half the football team. When I caught my balance it turned out it was just Bolin. “Korra!!!!” Bolin shrieked.

“Hi, Bolin,” I managed to wheeze, despite getting the wind knocked out of me.

Mako and Asami waved from their seat on the loveseat. They were color coordinated as usual in their reds and blacks. A second glance told me that they were more dressed up than I was used to seeing them. Mako was in dark pants and a dark red, button down shirt, and Asami was in a freaking dress that looked like it could be on the cover of _Business Casual Monthly_ (clearly a career in naming magazines was out for me)! Even Bolin had made an effort, sporting khakis and a green polo that matched his eyes.

I looked down at my clothes and wished I had put more thought into my outfit. To be honest, I wished I had put any thought at all into my outfit. I had spent the morning at a cross-country invitational and the afternoon playing soccer with Meelo and Ikki. I’d showered and thrown on a clean Republic City High t-shirt, a halfway decent pair of jeans, and a pair of beat up flip-flops. I was seriously underdressed.

Asami stood up to greet me. I watched her eyes flicker up and down my body, but she was gracious enough to not mention my clothes. “Can I get you something to drink? I’d offer you snacks, but we’ll be eating dinner in a few minutes.”

“I’m fine, thanks.” I was thirsty, but felt too out of place to request a beverage.

“Okay. Would you like to sit?” she asked, her brilliant green eyes sparkling with amusement.

That was when I realized I was hovering awkwardly in the doorway. Even Bolin had sprawled out again on the couch. “Yes,” I said, groaning inwardly. Why could I not avoid acting stupid in front of her? I shoved Bolin off half of the couch. “Move over, Bo.”

“We heard you did really well at the meet this morning,” Mako said, speaking to me for the first time.

I shrugged modestly. “It was a personal best, so I was pretty pleased.”

Asami’s brow furrowed. “I thought you got second. Opal said you were now ranked third in all of Republic City.”

Well, that was true, but I didn’t want to harp on it. After all, it didn’t quite compare to Asami’s first place high jump finish in the city championships last year. “Yeah. Hey, where’s Opal, anyway?”

“Her mom wanted her to go back to Zaofu this weekend, so she couldn’t make it.” Bolin chimed in. Opal and Bolin had begun dating at the beginning of the school year. I’d forgotten that her family still lived back in the Earth Kingdom. She stayed with her aunt, Lin Beifong, when she was in Republic City. I’d asked why she didn’t live with her parents and she told me it was because there were better schools in Republic City. It would make it easier for her to get into a top university in two years.

“Can you imagine living with Chief Beifong?” Bolin asked and everyone laughed.

“She doesn’t really strike me as the motherly type.” Mako paused in thought. “Not that any of us would know.”

We all stared at him in astonishment. “Way to bring the mood down, bro!” Bolin said sarcastically.

Though depressing, it was an astute observation. None of us lived in a traditional family. Three of us were in foster care and one had a single dad. Weird. That didn’t happen too often.

Asami turned her eyes to me and I realized she didn’t know much about me at all. “You don’t have a mom?”

“Uh…” I ran my hand through the back of my hair in a nervous habit. I’d avoided telling people about myself in case they judged me. Bolin had been the exception, but apparently not anymore. “I do, but I’ve only lived with my folks off and on since I was little. I ran from a group home in the Southern Water Tribe a few weeks ago and Tenzin and Pema took me in.”

Mako scoffed. Of course he would see the inconsistencies in that story. “It doesn’t work like that. Someone can’t just take you in once you’re in the system.”

“Ooh! Ooh!” Bolin jabbed me in the side. “Tell her how you know Chief Beifong!”

I buried my face in my hands. He was making me tell my crush and someone whom I couldn’t talk in front of one of my most humiliating moments. “Well, when you run, they have to figure out what to do with you. I was too far to go back to the group home, plus I doubt they’d have taken me back. They tend to frown upon running away. I couldn’t stay with Tenzin and Pema, so Chief Beifong came and took me to jail for a few days.”

“You’ve been arrested?” Asami sounded like she didn’t know whether to be appalled or impressed.

This was unfortunate because I didn’t know if I should play up or down my criminal activity. I decided on the truth. At least Asami would get to know the real me. “Twice. I was arrested when I was thirteen for breaking windows and then a few weeks ago for running.”

“Wow. I’ve never even gotten a speeding ticket.”

“A minor miracle,” Mako joked, nudging his girlfriend.

“You drive?” I’d never had a friend who could drive before. Granted, most of my friends were in the group home where getting a license wasn’t really an option. Even in Republic City, though, most of the kids took the bus.

“Does she drive?” Bolin asked theatrically. “DOES SHE DRIVE? She’s Asami Sato! Her family makes cars! She’s practically half-machine!”

Mako, Asami, and I burst into laughter at Bolin’s display. “Okay, Bolin,” Asami said. “I think that’s enough. Korra, we have a racetrack out back. If you want I could take you for a spin.”

That was an appealing offer, particularly for an adrenaline junkie. I hadn’t done anything risky in awhile and my impulsive side was starting to chafe at the monotony. “Yes!” I exclaimed. “That sounds awesome!”

“Great! We’ll go for a drive after dinner.”

“Speaking of dinner, what are we having?” I was starving. I hadn’t eaten since lunch and I’d done a lot of running that day. Hopefully it wouldn’t be something too fancy. This seemed like the kind of place that had a cook. I was already feeling out of place and a fancy meal wouldn’t help matters.

“PIZZA!” Bolin shouted.

Mako chucked a throw pillow at his brother. “Will you be quiet, bro?”

“I ordered it a half hour ago, so it should get here soon,” Asami supplied helpfully.

Well, that sounded good. Pizza was definitely a familiar food and delivery was even better than the frozen stuff I was used to. We made small talk for a few minutes until we heard the doorbell and the servant guy brought in three large pizzas and some disposable supplies. Clearly the other three had done this before because Bolin and Mako each grabbed a whole pie for themselves, while Asami placed the third on the coffee table. She reached into the bag and handed me a paper plate and a napkin. I slid off the sofa to use the coffee table as a table rather than trusting myself to be neat on what was probably a ten thousand Yuan piece of furniture.

The two boys devoured their pizzas in the time it took Asami to eat three pieces and me to consume the other five. I could eat with the best of them, but Mako and Bolin were in a category all their own.

“How did you do that?” I demanded.

“Years of practice,” Mako responded, a serene smile on his face. “Besides, I worked all day and didn’t have time to eat lunch, so I was hungry.”

I had figured Mako worked. Most foster parents don’t pay for things like cellphones and spending money, so the majority of foster kids who are old enough hold down at least one job. Plus, I knew Bolin worked at a warehouse moving boxes after school and on weekends. Still, I didn’t know about Mako, so this gave me the opportunity to find out more about him.

“Where do you work?”

“I’m a bellboy at a fancy hotel. I have to wear a stupid outfit, but I get pretty decent tips.”

“Oh my gosh! Do you have to wear the hat? Please tell me you have to wear the hat and that there’s photographic evidence!” I was right. Talking to Mako was way easier than talking to Asami.

Mako’s eyes widened and he turned red, a telltale sign that both were accurate. Bolin whipped out his phone and started showing me low-quality pictures of an annoyed Mako decked out in his bellboy gear.

“You better stop, Bolin, or he’ll show Korra that video he took of you singing a love song to your spaghetti,” Asami chimed in.

If I thought Mako had turned red, it was nothing compared to Bolin. I could understand why. If I were a nicer person, I might have let Bolin off the hook. However, I wasn’t. “I have to see that!” I exclaimed.

Mako had a silly grin on his face as he pulled out his cellphone, hit a few buttons, and handed it to me. The second I had it in my hand, I saw Bolin jump to try to swipe it, so I ducked and ran took off. I couldn’t see the video, but I could hear the audio clearly. It was indeed a love song about spaghetti.

Asami and Mako were doubled over in laughter as Bolin chased me around the den. It played through once before he admitted defeat and collapsed on the floor in the fetal position. “I’m never moving from this spot. I’m going to die here. Soon. Because I’m embarrassed,” he stated, his voice muffled by the carpet.

“Okay, but then you’ll miss Korra’s ride with me,” Asami wheedled.

Spirits! In all the hilarity, I had nearly forgotten about that!

Bolin got up and grinned sheepishly at me before we all followed Asami out back. Wow. She wasn’t kidding when she said she had a racetrack. I assumed it was just a dirt circle, but this was legit. It had to be close to a regulation-sized track that the professionals drive on…not that I’d ever seen one of course. It was dark outside and the track was even illuminated!

“My dad’s let me test vehicles since I was twelve, so it seemed prudent to have somewhere to do it where no one would know an unlicensed kid was driving,” Asami said nonchalantly.

That was the thing about Asami. She would say or do these amazing things like they were no big deal. When I was with anyone else besides Asami, I could fake bravado, but that usually made me come across as cocky and brash. Asami was just… _cool_. I knew I’d never be that cool.

We headed over to a garage where she grabbed a set of keys and two helmets. “Okay,” she said, pointing to a black and red car (of course). “Hop in the passenger’s seat. Boys, clear out so you don’t get run over.”

I jammed the helmet on my head and climbed in, unsure of what to expect. This was a new experience for me. What I found was that Asami drove fast! She had complete command over the car. She knew just when to turn the wheel and how much to brake to avoid crashing. I caught a glance at the speedometer and saw it top out at 170 mph. How was this girl even real? Out the window I could see Bolin jumping up and down, cheering us on. Mako just looked worried. It seemed that he didn’t like his girlfriend driving so fast.

Once we pulled back into the garage, I didn’t know what to say. “Wow,” was what came out. I mentally smacked myself. Was that really the best I could do?

“Speechless, huh?” Asami teased me as she pulled off her helmet and shook out her hair.

Spirits! Her hair was glorious. When I finally managed to get myself together and follow her out of the garage, I saw an older man standing with the boys. Asami’s face lit up. “Hi, Dad!” she called, sounding like a little kid.

“Hello, Asami. I see you’ve gotten that car up to your usual standards.” Asami’s dad turned to the boys and me to brag. “It wouldn’t even run last week. She’s been out here tinkering on it for days. As you can see, it’s perfect now.”

_And she fixes cars. Of course,_ I thought. Like I wondered before, how was this girl even real?

“Daaad,” Asami groaned.

I liked that Asami could be embarrassed by her dad. It made her seem more human. I checked my phone to see what time it was. 8:30. That didn’t give me much time. Mako noticed my predicament and asked, “Do you need to go?”

“I don’t know. Pema and Tenzin didn’t give me a curfew, but one of them will need to come get me, so I can’t stay out too late.”

“I could take you home so you could stay a little longer,” Mako offered, “provided Asami lets me borrow a car.”

Asami rolled her eyes. “You can borrow any car you want. You know that by now.”

Mako’s whole face lit up. “You mean—“

“Not the bike,” Asami corrected. “Never the bike. The bike is off limits to anyone who wants to remain among the living.”

“Then it’s settled,” Bolin exclaimed. “Korra’s staying for the movie!”

“I need to check with Tenzin to make sure it’s okay.” I felt like such a child next to my peers. Granted, they were all already home, so there was no one for them to check in with.

“Sure,” Asami said kindly. “We’ll give you some privacy. Come on, boys!”

Asami’s dad gave me a peculiar look, but followed the rest of them inside. I pulled up Tenzin’s contact information and hit send.

_“Hello?”_

“Hi, Tenzin. Is it okay if Mako drives me home in a little while so you don’t have to pick me up?”

_“Does he have his license?”_

“Yes.”

_“Has he been drinking?”_

“No.”

_“Then that sounds acceptable. Don’t forget that the last ferry leaves the mainland at 11, so you’ll need to get there before then.”_

“I didn’t forget.” I had forgotten, but he didn’t need to know that.

_“Okay. Call if you need anything. We’ll be up waiting.”_

“Thanks!”

Yes! I could stay a little longer and I’d get to hang out alone with Mako! I ran inside to tell them the good news.

We watched some sort of stupid comedy. At 10:45, I checked my watch and realized if we didn’t leave now, I wouldn’t make the ferry. Somehow I didn’t think Tenzin and Pema would appreciate that. I said a hasty goodbye to Bolin and thanked Asami before Mako and I booked it out to the garage. He chose a vintage muscle car that probably got terrible gas mileage. I shuddered to think what Tenzin would say.

Mako drove quickly to make sure we made it to the ferry on time. We cut it close on a few red lights and ran one altogether, but we made it with two minutes to spare. Mako was pretty fun. He might come across as super serious, but he wasn’t afraid to joke around with me.

“So,” he said as he eased his way onto the ferry. “I noticed you don’t talk much around Asami. Why is that?”

Okay, maybe he did have a tendency toward seriousness. “I don’t know,” I answered honestly. “She has such a different life than I do and she’s so good at everything.”

Mako laughed. “Yeah. She is pretty incredible, but so are you. You might come from different worlds, but she’s not better than you and she doesn’t think she is.”

That made me feel really good. He said I was incredible and basically said that Asami viewed us as equals! This was such a good night! “You’re pretty great, too,” I told him. “Bo told me how you’ve always taken care of him. I think that’s really cool.”

“Thanks,” Mako murmured. “You know, it’s nice to be friends with someone else in care. Asami’s awesome, but she doesn’t know what it’s like to have her parents completely out of the picture. It makes it hard to talk to her sometimes.”

“You can always talk to me,” I told him earnestly. By now we were pulling up to Tenzin’s house. I could feel my time running out and my impulsivity taking over. “Listen, Mako, I think you’re really cool and hot and stuff, and I really want to be with you.”

In a move that would haunt me forever, I leaned over and kissed him. He pushed me away, exclaiming, “Korra!” I was humiliated, especially when he said, “I’m sorry, but I’m with Asami. I just don’t feel the same way about you.”

“Thanks for the ride.” I was nearly in tears as I jumped out of the car and ran into the house. I ran past Pema and Tenzin without saying anything, hoping they would just leave me alone. I bolted to my room and closed the door before collapsing on my bed. Naga, my white Great Pyrenees, had climbed on my back and was whining at my distress. My parents had kept her while I was in the group home and my caseworker had brought her along with my belongings from the group home. She’d certainly gotten bigger in the two years I had been away.

Of course, they were responsible parents and Pema came to check on me a few minutes later. “Do you want to talk about it?” she asked gently, sitting beside me on the bed where I lay facedown.

“No.”

“Should you talk about it?”

I sighed and tried to roll over, but there was a 120-pound dog on my back. Instead, I turned my head to face Pema. “I kissed Mako,” I told her.

“Wow. That was fast,” she said mildly.

“Yeah.” Now that I had thought about it, it really was. I barely knew him! What did I expect to happen? This is the kind of stuff less impulsive people don’t have to worry about because they think about things before they do them. Why couldn’t I be more like them?

“I take it it didn’t go well?”

“He said he didn’t feel the same way.” I turned back onto my stomach and buried my face in the pillows. Maybe I would just stay here forever.

Pema stroked my hair gently, just sitting with me as I tried to recover from the crisis of my own creation. Eventually I fell asleep.

 

…

Mako ignored me for the next several months. In some ways it was humiliating, but for the most part, I supposed being ignored was preferable to being openly hated. Of course, he probably did hate me. I was grateful that he didn’t seem to have told Asami what had happened. At least, she still treated me nicely, despite the fact that I was more awkward than ever.

“The end of the cross-country season is coming up, right?” she asked me one day in band. “Are you excited for the conference meet today?”

I nodded. Words were too difficult today. I should have been excited, but a few days ago I’d started feeling a shooting pain on the top of my foot every time I put weight on it or touched it. Even wearing my beat up chucks put too much pressure on it, which was why I was in flip-flops in late October. I’d been trying to ignore it in hopes that it would go away. It wasn’t working. Still, if I told Asami, she might tell Opal who would definitely tattle to our coach.

“Well, I’m excited. Bolin, Mako, and I are driving over after school to watch you guys run!” Asami must have been excited because she was blatantly ignoring Bumi’s attempts to get the band’s attention so we could get started with rehearsal.

Maybe an audience was just what I needed. I didn’t want to look foolish in front of Mako or Asami, so I would fight through the pain to make sure it didn’t happen.

Throughout the rest of the school day, the bus ride to the course, and the warm-up, that was exactly what I kept telling myself. The pain grew worse and worse, so I snuck off to the training tent to see if they could do anything.

After touching my foot with a vibrating tuning fork that caused the pain to flair, the trainer took one look at me and said, “I’m pretty sure you have a stress fracture. You shouldn’t run today.”

I sighed. It was what I had expected. “Okay,” I said, pulling out my most dejected demeanor. On my way out I snagged a bag of ice and swiped some Aleve. I had every intention of running, no matter what the trainer said.

“You okay?” Opal asked when I got back to the bus.

“Yeah.” I managed a grin as I pulled on my spikes and pinned my number to my singlet. This race was going to suck.

We made our way over to the starting line and did some striders from our starting block. At least Tenzin and his family, my friends, and my coach knew to give me space before a race. I didn’t think I could face them without telling someone how badly my foot hurt.

The gun went off and the adrenaline served as a more effective painkiller than the Aleve. It lasted through the first half of the race. Pure grit and determination carried me through the finish line, which I crossed in fifth place before I fell to the ground. My foot was on fire. By this point I was pretty sure if someone stabbed it, it wouldn’t make it hurt any worse.

Lying on the ground just past the finish line wasn’t the safest thing I’d ever done. Three people tripped over me and one person stepped on my hand with their spikes before I felt someone throw me over their shoulder and carry me to safety.

“What’s wrong?” a voice asked.

“Mako?” My heart leapt.

“Yeah. What happened? I’ve never seen you collapse after a race. Are you dehydrated?” he sounded panicked.

“Mako?”

“Yeah?”

“You can put me down now,” I told him. Having the pressure off my foot was nice, but he was staggering under my weight and I figured it was only a matter of time before dropped me.

“Oh.”

He tried to put me on my feet, which, needless to say, didn’t work out very well. I fell on my butt. “Thanks,” I said, sarcastically.

“I’m so sorry! I didn’t think!” Mako knelt down beside me. “Seriously, what’s wrong? What can I do?”

I looked around. We were about a hundred feet from the crowds of people surrounding the finish line. “It’s my left foot. Help me take off my spike?”

Mako carefully undid the double knot and loosened the laces. It helped to relieve some of the pressure, though when he slid the spike off my foot, the stabbing returned. I hissed in pain. “Sorry!” he said again.

I took a deep breath before responding. “It’s okay. It’s not your fault.” I wanted to curse at him, but I figured that wouldn’t win me any favors.

I reached down and slid my sock off as well, figuring I might as well get all the pain over at once. My foot was already starting to swell. Shit. If it wasn’t broken before, it certainly was now.

“We should probably get you to the hospital,” Mako said. “Do you know where Tenzin and Pema are?”

“I haven’t seen them, but if you help me back to the bus, I can call them.” I stuffed my sock in my spike and allowed Mako to help me hop the quarter mile distance to our bus.

A dozen people ran up to us as we approached. Pema, Tenzin, the kids, my coach, my teammates, Bolin, and Asami all began asking me panicked questions. Thankfully Mako fielded them for me.

“It’s her foot. I think it’s broken. She probably needs to have it x-rayed. Should we take her to the hospital?”

I chanced a glance at Asami who had fixed Mako with a suspicious stare. “We?” she asked.

Tenzin took charge immediately. “I’ll pull the car around.” Tenzin said. “Pema, sign Korra out. Jinora, Ikki, and Meelo, with me.”

Everyone jumped into action. Opal ran onto the bus to grab my bag. My coach handed Pema a permission slip and a pen, so she could sign that I was leaving with her and not with the team. Bolin brought me a water bottle, which I downed gratefully. It was a cool day, but I’d still lost a lot of fluids running that race.

Mako, who had yet to let go of me, said, “I’m going with you.”

“ _Sweetie_ , don’t you think we should give Korra some space?” Asami asked. There was bite in her words.

“It’s okay,” I said. “I’d like it if he came.” I felt like I was betraying Asami and destroying any chance of a friendship with her, but I really wanted to be with Mako.

Mako helped me into the car and I couldn’t help but tease him. “Such a gentleman!” I didn’t stop to consider the fact that Asami was watching the whole thing.

Asami shook her head and walked away. Opal froze, torn between concern for me and for Asami. “Go.” I told her. Opal trailed after her best friend and I was comforted. I might have caused Asami grief, but at least she wouldn’t be alone.

Several hours later I left the hospital with the diagnosis of a stress fracture in my third metatarsal.  They put my foot in a boot and gave me crutches to use until I could be reassessed at my next appointment in two weeks. I was bummed. I would miss the championship meet.

“I can’t believe you finished fifth with a broken foot!” Jinora exclaimed, clambering into the minivan behind Ikki. The family might be environmentally conscious, but there were also four kids. An electric car just wouldn’t cut it when the whole family had to go places. “That’s so impressive!”

I shrugged. Impressive was one word. Idiotic was another. Maybe if I had taken a few days off I wouldn’t be abandoning my team in their most important meet. Besides, I was expected to win, so a fifth place finish and a crappy time was nothing to be proud of.

Mako had been a silent, but comforting presence. When we dropped him off in front of Asami’s house, he said, “Feel better, Korra,” and slipped out of the minivan.

I watched him walk through the gate, wondering what he was thinking. He’d been quieter and more serious today than I’d ever seen him. I couldn’t figure out if it was a good or a bad sign for me. Certainly his relationship with Asami wasn’t as strong as I thought if she would get jealous over him staying with me.

The next morning I woke up to a text from Mako.

Mako: _Hey_

It had been sent at 5:30 that morning. I wondered what he had been doing up so early.

Me: _Hey!_

I got a text back almost immediately.

Mako: _Listen, can I swing by today?_

Me: _Yeah. When?_

Mako: _Now?_

I hesitated. It was only nine o’clock, but I couldn’t see what difference that would make.

Me: _Sure. See you soon._

I bolted out of bed and crashed to the floor. I wasn’t supposed to sleep in the boot, so I’d put all of my weight on my fractured foot. I lay there stunned for a few moments, trying to fend off Naga’s licks and concerned barks, until Ikki burst into my room.

“Are you okay? I heard a bang! It sounded like you fell! Or like you were being attacked! Then Naga started barking, so I knew something was wrong. Did you fall? Did you break your foot worse? Did you break your other foot?” she asked, shooting off rapid-fire questions.

“Whoa!” If I didn’t stop her she’d go on all day. “I’m fine. I just forgot my foot was hurt. I’m getting up now.”

To prove I was indeed fine, I stood up and hopped to my dresser. Naga trailed behind me, to make sure I didn’t fall backward. How she thought she’d prevent that, I wasn’t sure. I had to put on pants before I could put on my boot; using my crutches would have been too much effort for such a short distance. “You can go now.” Ikki was still hovering in the doorway and I didn’t particularly want her to watch me dress. She huffed and rolled her eyes, but she did leave. I counted it as a victory.

I turned my attention to the task at hand. If Mako was coming over now, I’d have to hurry to look presentable. I threw on a pair of jeans and a t-shirt—my usual uniform. Socks came next followed by a sneaker on my right foot and a boot on my left. Classy. I grabbed a crutch and hobbled to the bathroom. Ten minutes later I was ready. The only thing left to do was let Pema and Tenzin know Mako was coming over.

Just as I made my way into the kitchen with my faithful dog by my side, there was a knock on the door. It was Mako. Spirits! How had he gotten here so fast? Pema looked at me expectantly. “Uh…Mako asked if he could come over today,” I told her.

“Don’t you think you should have maybe asked beforehand?” she asked with just a bit of attitude.

I chafed at the flippancy, but she was right. I should have. I just didn’t think he’d get here so quickly. “Yes. I’m sorry. He texted me early this morning and I didn’t get a chance to.”

She sighed and opened the door. Pema and Tenzin weren’t particularly strict, but they did like to know what was going on with their kids, especially in their own house. “Good morning, Mako. Would you like some breakfast? I’m making pancakes.”

“No thanks. I won’t stay long. I just wanted to talk to Korra for a few minutes.” Mako gestured for me to follow him outside. I watched him curiously. He seemed downtrodden and anxious. His crumpled clothes made me wonder if he’d slept in them or if he’d slept at all.

“Listen,” he began. Mako leaned against the railing, looking out over the bay. “Asami and I broke up last night.”

I came up behind him and placed a comforting hand on the small of his back. “I’m so sorry, Mako.”

He shrugged and turned to look at me. “It’s okay. We’d been rocky for awhile, ever since you kissed me, really.”

“Fuck. I’m so sorry, Mako!” I repeated. I was sorry, but I was also kind of glad. No longer would I have to see Asami and Mako together.

“It’s actually kind of a relief. I was getting tired of her acting jealous of you.”

That gave me pause. “Asami was jealous of me?”

“Yeah. She knew I liked you. I got bad at hiding it toward the end,” He admitted sheepishly, taking my hand in his. “I know I turned you down a while back, but if you’ll still have me, I’d really like to be your boyfriend.”

In hindsight, it wasn’t a good sign that he was asking me out hours after he had broken up with his girlfriend, but I didn’t think about it in the moment. “Yes!” I responded enthusiastically, throwing my arms around his neck and kissing him.

Mako left not long after that, leaving me to ponder what had transpired. Unlike our last embrace, this time he returned it with equal passion. When he had pulled back, I couldn’t help but feel a twinge of disappointment. Kissing Mako felt nothing like I’d heard it described in books and movies. I didn’t feel the cliché tingling or heat coursing through my body. It was pleasant and I liked feeling his emotions for me expressed physically, but nothing more than that. I figured I’d have to try harder in the future.

 

…

“So, you and Mako?” Asami asked me in band on Monday.

I froze. I’d hoped she wouldn’t bring it up. Part of me hoped she didn’t know, but that was unrealistic considering Mako still lived with her. “Yeah,” I said sheepishly.

“It’s okay, you know,” she told me, cementing herself as the nicest person in the world. She looked a bit downcast, but she met my eyes and offered a smile. “I’m not upset with you; I’m kind of angry with him for not being honest about his feelings, but I do want you both to be happy.”

“Thanks,” I murmured.

Bumi started rehearsal then, but for the rest of the day I pondered Asami’s response. I was a little sad she wasn’t jealous and I didn’t know what to make of it.

 

…

My relationship with Mako didn’t last long. Some things were really good. He was on the basketball team, so we spent a lot of time thinking up ways for him to trash talk his opponents. It was some of the most fun I’d ever had with someone. I also liked kissing him. I never quite reached the levels of passion I’d heard about, but there were times when he kissed me just right that I thought maybe I sort of understood. Mostly I just liked being close both physically and emotionally to another person. I liked being wanted.

However, the cons outweighed the pros. We fought constantly. We were both too stubborn. I was too emotionally volatile and he was too emotionally distant. He would have these moods where he would brood for days over things he wouldn’t talk about. Plus, he was used to regular sex with Asami and I was less than willing to sleep with him this early in our relationship. That was what I’d told him, anyway. The truth of the matter was that I was a virgin and was still too nervous about my first time. All of these things combined led us to our breaking point.

I was walking through the gym one Monday after school when three seniors tried to attack a freshman. After years of being bullied, I promised myself I wouldn’t allow it on my watch. I stepped in and started to beat up the seniors. I was in shape and a decent fighter, so it was going well for me. The freshman kid watched in awe. Unfortunately, Mako walked in at that moment, saw what was happening, and ran for help. A handful of teachers came in and pulled all of us apart.

“What’s going on here?” a male teacher I didn’t know demanded.

The stupid seniors started whining and crying about how I was beating them up. The teacher looked to Mako for confirmation. “That’s what I saw too, sir,” he admitted reluctantly.

What I should have said was, “No, sir. I was protecting this kid from the three older boys who were picking on him and threatening to hurt him. Mako walked in at the end, so you should really ask the freshman if you want the whole story.”

What I actually did was shout, “What?! Fuck you, Mako!” and storm out.

Thus, I wound up getting suspended for the rest of the week. Plus, Tenzin and Pema grounded me for a month. I did explain the story to them, but they said it didn’t matter. Everything about my behavior was impulsive and they were concerned I’d do something worse if I didn’t get control over my actions.

To top things off, Mako broke up with me for always being unreasonable. As hurt and angry as I was, I was also kind of relieved. We’d fought so much and now I wasn’t going to have to deal with that anymore.

When I returned to school, it was time to fill out course registration cards for the following semester. Students who had study hall filled them out there and those who had band, chorus, or orchestra filled them out there.

“Sorry to hear about you getting suspended and then the breakup on top of that,” Asami said, looking down at her card.

“That’s—hey! Wait a minute. You’re a senior?” I asked. I had been watching her fill out her card and was surprised when she’d circled grade 12.

She looked up at me with mild amusement. “Yes? Is that a problem?”

“No, no. I just—how old are you?” Panic flooded me. Asami was a senior, which meant I only had one more semester to become friends with her. It didn’t look good for me.

“Didn’t anyone ever tell you it wasn’t polite to ask a woman her age?” she teased. I turned bright red and looked away. “It’s okay, though. I’ll tell you.” She leaned to whisper in my ear as if it were an important secret. “I’m sixteen.”

I leaned back quickly both in confusion and embarrassment. I was feeling a tingling I didn’t want to think about. “And you’re a senior?” I clarified again, making sure I wasn’t missing anything.

She shrugged. “I skipped kindergarten and I was already young for my grade.”

After that I had to focus on filling out my own card, which was difficult with the disappointment I felt growing inside of me. I’d never be friends with Asami. It was devastating. A part of me wondered why this had hit me so much harder than my breakup with my boyfriend.

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know nothing about racing cars, so that section was kind of a load of crap. Also, I know I'm messing with canon events by bringing in Opal, but hey, it happens. Back to the present tomorrow! Comments and constructive criticism are always appreciated!


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Present Day: Korra recalls the events that led to her friendship with Asami.

**Present Day**

Korra opened her eyes as a now aging Naga padded into her room and jumped onto her bed. The dog nosed Jinora’s hair, stomped on the girls as she turned in a circle, and finally made herself comfortable on the edge of the bed.

“Naga!” Jinora complained, shoving the dog in the face. “Why’d you wake me up?”

Naga let out a pitiful whine and licked her hand in apology. In nine years, Naga hadn’t changed. In seven years, neither had Asami. She was just as sweet, caring, and focused today as she had always been, though events that transpired after her high school graduation also brought out her determination and a shrewd business mind.

Just days after she graduated, Hiroshi Sato was arrested for terrorism. He had been selling arms to a terrorist group called the Equalists, spearheaded by a man who called himself “Amon,” who sought to eliminate corruption among government officials. The thing was, most people agreed with the Equalists that leaders in the pocket of the Triads should be ousted from office, but the Equalists were set on using violence, often against innocents, including the children of the corrupt officials. They were responsible for a number of bombings that killed dozens throughout the city. The scandal culminated when Future Industries products were found on an Equalist who was arrested. A search of the Sato mansion turned up a secret room under the property in which hundreds of weapons, explosive making materials, and stacks of unmarked bills were found. Hiroshi Sato was arrested that night and held without bail. The newsreel had showed a horrified Asami turning her back on her father.

Mako and Bolin had stayed with Pema and Tenzin for a week until they were able to get their own place. Korra thought back fondly to how excited they were to finally be able to live comfortably on their own on their salaries plus a subsidized independent living apartment. Through them Korra had learned that Asami still planned on attending Zaofu University, a top school for both engineering and business.

Korra’s heart had ached for Asami as Future Industries stocks plummeted over the coming months. Not only did the barely seventeen year old have to contend with a flagging company, she also had to deal with media scrutiny.  They parked outside of the mansion, bombarding her with photos and questions any time she left. She required 24-hour police protection because of death threats from people who assumed she had worked with her father. This was not an uncommon opinion. Any time Korra had opened a paper or turned on the news she heard someone voice such a sentiment.

It had been six years since Asami made that decision and Korra still couldn’t believe how courageous her friend had been. She smiled fondly as she remembered the way Asami had never spoken harshly to the media, even when they made daily tasks like buying supplies for school nearly impossible.

As summer had turned into fall, the media stopped reporting so much about Asami, largely because they were not allowed into Zaofu. Opal said her family was militant about providing privacy to their citizens, a right extended to Asami who was at the university.

Korra reflected on these events and how badly she wanted to be there for someone who wasn’t even her friend. She recalled the moment when she voiced her concern to Pema.

“You could always email her,” Pema had suggested.

Inspired by that brilliant idea, Korra remembered that she had sent her first email to Asami that very night. And with it began their friendship. She recalled the blossoming of their email correspondence with fondness as she settled back into her pillow and stroked Naga’s head.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is my least favorite chapter. I'm two chapters from the end (in writing, not posting), so I'm confident in saying it will remain my least favorite. It's transitional, but important. Sigh. Tomorrow's will be better.


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Six Years Ago: Korra and Asami's email friendship blossoms.

**Six Years Ago**

It took me a long time to write my first email, an embarrassingly long time. I’d written five page papers in the time it took me to finish an email that was barely a hundred words long. The end result was an email that nicely encapsulated all of my awkwardness and self-doubt.

 

…

To: Asami Sato ([asamisato@gmail.com](mailto:asamisato@gmail.com))

From: Korra ([avatarkorra@yahoo.com](mailto:avatarkorra@yahoo.com))

9/10

Subject: Hello

 

Asami,

How’s your freshman year of college? Is it everything people have told me it would be? I hope so. Otherwise it’ll be a huge letdown.

I was really sorry to hear about your dad and your company. That really sucks. How are you doing with all of that? I’m sure you have a million people to talk to, but if you ever want to talk to me, just let me know. I’ll help in any way I can.

Is this email out of line? If it is, please ignore it. You can respond or not. The choice is yours. Well, obviously the choice is yours. Who else would make it?

Anyway I hope you’re doing okay.

Sincerely,

Korra

P.S. I miss your mad euphonium skills in band. I’m all alone now.

 

 

…

As I lay in bed the night after sending the email, I contemplated the matter. I seriously doubted that Asami would respond, particularly because we weren’t friends. Why would we be? I stole her boyfriend, which she was really nice about, but still. Plus, I couldn’t talk to her to save my life. Even normal email correspondence was apparently beyond my grasp. She was as close to perfect as humanly possible and probably had a million people to talk to, so who was I to reach out to her?

With these thoughts rattling around in my mind, I fell asleep. The next morning I groaned when Pema woke me up. It had been a late night and I could remember flashes of a dream where people were laughing at me. Needless to say, it was going to be a long day.

I went through my morning routine: get dressed, pull my hair up, brush my teeth, wash my face, eat breakfast, break up a fight between Jinora and Ikki, walk Naga, and gather my books for school. I quickly checked my email and my heart nearly stopped. There was an email from Asami! My hand shook as I clicked to open it.

 

 

…

From: Asami Sato ([asamisato@gmail.com](mailto:asamisato@gmail.com))

To: Korra ([avatarkorra@yahoo.com](mailto:avatarkorra@yahoo.com))

9/11

Subject: Hi!

 

Hey Korra,

Let me just start off by saying I really appreciated your email. It was good to hear from you. Please don’t ever apologize for offering help. I may just take you up on it.

While this might be my first year of college, I’m actually a second semester junior in terms of credits. Future Industries’ CFO has assured me that we have enough financial solvency to last another year now that our stocks have stabilized. We’re not making money, but with our current contracts, we’re not losing it either. That said, he’s given me one year to graduate before I take over as CEO, so no pressure there (sarcasm—I’m not sure if it translates through email). The point of this lengthy explanation: Future Industries is safe for the time being and I’m not sure I’m the best person to ask about college. I’m certainly not having what could be considered “normal” college experience (if there is such a thing).

How are you doing? Opal told me you’ve gotten some national attention for your soccer talent at camps this summer. Have you gotten wind of any potential soccer scholarships? She was sorry you quit x-c, but I think it’s the smart decision. Go with the sport that gives you the best shot at a scholarship. That’s my two-cents anyway. I’d like to see more of that “Avatar Korra” (love the email address, by the way) confidence that started to show during the spring soccer season.

Hope you’re doing well!

Asami

P.S. I’m pretty sure you were the only one with “mad euphonium skills.” I just held you back.

 

 

…

After reading the email, I sat back and grinned. Asami didn’t hate me! She didn’t mind me emailing her! There was no reason for me to be worried! Better yet, she asked me questions, so I would be able to respond without becoming a nuisance. I could feel that this was the beginning of something. I was walking on air the rest of the day.

 

 

…

From: Korra ([avatarkorra@yahoo.com](mailto:avatarkorra@yahoo.com))

To: Asami Sato ([asamisato@gmail.com](mailto:asamisato@gmail.com))

9/12

Subject: I’m glad!

 

Asami,

I’m glad Future Industries isn’t royally screwed yet. That was encouraging to hear. But how are _you_? You talked about the company and college, but didn’t mention yourself.

Also, _seriously_? How do you have enough credits to be a junior?! You’re going to graduate from college at 18? How is that even possible? You don’t even make sense to me.

Thanks. Yeah. I’m doing pretty well with soccer. Pema and Tenzin let me try out for a premier club team and ODP, so I’ve been playing a lot of soccer even though RCHS has girls’ soccer in the spring, which still doesn’t make sense to me. I kind of miss running, but mostly I miss being on the team with Opal. I agree that a scholarship is the most important thing right now. I can go to a local college for free because I’m in foster care, but I’d rather go to a great school on my own merit. You know? Other than school and soccer, not much is going on for me right now.

I’ll work on the Avatar Korra confidence for you.

Later!

Korra

 

 

…

To: Korra ([avatarkorra@yahoo.com](mailto:avatarkorra@yahoo.com))

From: Asami Sato ([asamisato@gmail.com](mailto:asamisato@gmail.com))

9/13

Subject: Stop being so amazed!

 

Korra,

Seriously, kid. I’m not that impressive. I took AP classes my junior year of high school and a bunch of college classes my senior year. That made me a junior coming into Zaofu University (ZU). This summer I took a semester’s worth of classes there, so now I’m a second-semester junior. Again, yes. I’m going to graduate when I’m 18, but I’m taking 3 semesters of classes in a 3-semester period. So really, I just got started early.

Thanks for asking. You’re the only person who has asked about me as a person instead of the Future Industries’ future CEO. That really means a lot to me. I’m doing okay. It’s hard sometimes when my classmates talk about their families. I don’t have anyone left. Most people won’t even talk to me. I think part of it is that I’m younger, but most of it is because they think I had some part in my father’s crimes. Let me set the record straight since I know you would never ask: I had no part of it. I didn’t know about it. I don’t condone it. My father said he got involved with the Equalists because they were fighting the Triads, the people who killed my mother. Well, she was my mother too, you know? Did you know I was home when they broke in and set fire to my home? I watched my mother burn to death. I hate the Triads for what they did, but I can’t fathom ever feeling like terrorism is the answer. Now I have to deal with the fallout, including people hating me for things I hate too! It’s so unfair. Sorry. I just haven’t complained to anyone about this before. It won’t happen again. I promise.

Anyway, I don’t know half of what you were talking about with soccer. What is ODP? Also, what is a premier team?

How are Mako and Bolin? I haven’t heard from them recently. Did they find somewhere else to live?

Hope you’re well,

Asami

 

 

…

From: Korra ([avatarkorra@yahoo.com](mailto:avatarkorra@yahoo.com))

To: Asami Sato ([asamisato@gmail.com](mailto:asamisato@gmail.com))

9/16

Subject: I’m not a kid! You’re a kid!

 

Asami,

Sorry it took me a few days to respond. My schedule has been insane lately. I’ve left my house at 6 a.m. every day this week and haven’t gotten home until after 9. The reason: I lift weights before school, go to school, go to club practice (a premier team is a good soccer team with girls from all over the area), and go to ODP practice (Olympic Development Program—not as impressive as it sounds). Tenzin and Pema are going nuts trying to get me to practice because neither one is close to the house or to the other. Basically, I’m wiped out.

I’m going to continue to be impressed by your amazing brain. Nothing you can say will stop me. So there!

You don’t have to apologize for complaining. You’re in a crappy situation. It totally sucks that people don’t talk to you because of what your dad did. Do you hate him? Can I ask that? Don’t answer if it crosses a line. Also, let me set the record straight: I would never ask about your involvement in this mess because I don’t need to. You wanted to see Avatar Korra confidence? Here it is. I had a hard time believing your dad did those things, but I would absolutely never have believed you were involved. You’re too good for that. It’s just not who you are. If I’m confident in anything, it’s that.

Mako and Bolin are doing well. They’re in an independent living program, so they have their own apartment. They get support from adults, and have cheap rent and gift cards for food. I don’t get to see them as much as I want to because we’re all so busy, but they seem to love it.

Bye!

Korra

 

 

…

To: Korra ([avatarkorra@yahoo.com](mailto:avatarkorra@yahoo.com))

From: Asami Sato ([asamisato@gmail.com](mailto:asamisato@gmail.com))

9/16

Subject: thanks

 

Korra,

That is such an awful schedule. I’m glad you like soccer or else you would be completely miserable! Still, getting to school by 6 sounds terrible. ODP sounds pretty impressive even if you say it’s not. If you’re going to be impressed by my brain, I’ll be impressed that you’re someday going to be in the Olympics. I’d almost forgotten you were with Pema and Tenzin. Do you mind if I ask if you ever talk to your parents?

Thanks, Korra. I’m glad to see that Avatar Korra confidence returning J. I do worry that it’s misplaced, though. I worry that I’ll do something as bad or worse than my father did when I have that amount of power. When you run a top company, there are very few things to keep you in check. You asked if I hate my dad. Honestly? I’m not sure. Some days I hate him so much I want him to be executed for his crimes—not just for killing people, but also for leaving me alone. He was the only family I had and he threw it away for nothing. Most days, I’m just angry at him. On those days I never want to talk to him again. On my most forgiving days (they’re admittedly rare), I feel sorry for him. It makes me sad that he was hurting so much about my mom and never told me. Maybe I could have helped him. Maybe not. I don’t know. I kind of wish I understood, but at the same time, I hope I never understand that kind of hatred.

I’m glad to hear about Mako and Bolin! Tell them I miss them!

Best,

Asami

 

 

…

From: Korra ([avatarkorra@yahoo.com](mailto:avatarkorra@yahoo.com))

To: Asami Sato ([asamisato@gmail.com](mailto:asamisato@gmail.com))

9/18

Subject: Mornings are EVIL

 

Asami,

My schedule is the worst! I just want one day to sleep in, but no! I have to go to a soccer tournament this weekend. Meelo and Ikki have one too, but it’s not at the same place as mine, so Tenzin’s taking me and Pema’s taking them. I think that kind of sucks, but they say they don’t mind. I’m really nervous about the tournament, by the way. There will be scouts for the U-18 National Team, so hopefully I do well. But yeah, you can have confidence that I’ll go to the Olympics, but I have a long way to go before I reach that point.

You asked about my parents. I talk to them every few months. They don’t have much money, so they don’t always have working cellphones. They change their number every time that happens (stupid TrackFones), which makes it hard for me to know how to reach them. I don’t know how much you know about foster care, but if you spend 15 out of 22 months in care, the State files a petition to terminate parental rights. I’m coming up on that 15 month mark (the 2 years I spent in the group home don’t count for reasons I don’t feel like explaining), so that process has started. When I talked to mom and dad a week or so ago, they said they were working hard to try to get me back, but I’m not holding my breath. I’d rather stay with Tenzin and Pema anyway. I have more opportunities here. Plus, my parents just don’t make enough money to take care of me. I’d go back to them, they’d not be able to pay the bills, and I’d get taken back into care. It’s how it always goes.

Avatar Korra confidence is never misplaced. You’re not your father and you never will be. Isn’t there a way to make sure of it once you’re in charge? Like, can’t you make sure everyone knows what’s going on with the company and how the money is being spent? You’re a better person than I am. I’d spend most days hating my dad if he did something like yours did. If you ever want someone to hit him where it hurts, just let me know! I’m your girl.

Mako and Bolin said “hi” back. Bolin promised to send you some of his drawings. He’s in an art class this semester and he’s delightfully terrible. Opal said she hasn’t heard from you in awhile and made me promise to tell you she misses you.

What’s been going on in your college world?

Out!

Korra

 

 

…

To: Korra ([avatarkorra@yahoo.com](mailto:avatarkorra@yahoo.com))

From: Asami Sato ([asamisato@gmail.com](mailto:asamisato@gmail.com))

9/21

Subject: YES!

 

Korra!

You keep saying I’m a genius, but you’re the one who may have just saved my company! You mentioned letting people know what is happening with Future Industries. I’ve spent the past few days thinking and planning (that’s why I haven’t emailed until now). If I create a culture of transparency and put out reports every few months that detail any innovations and our profits/spending down to the yuan, people might just trust us again. This was such a brilliant idea!

How did your tournament go? Are you in the Olympics yet? What position do you play? I just realized I didn’t know if I should be encouraging you to score goals or stop them.

I really hope things with your parents work out the way you want them to. Don’t you have some say in it since you’re 16? How do you not hate them for abandoning you?

Oh. My. God. Bolin mailed a whole box of drawings to me. There was one that I thought was a gorilla that had one regular hand and one penis hand. It was eating the penis hand. After looking at it for 10 minutes and getting thoroughly grossed out, I realized it was a gorilla with two normal hands eating a banana. How does that happen? Is he failing his art class? If not, how is he passing?!

Yeah. I’ve been neglecting Opal. I’ll call her this weekend.

My college world? Let’s see. I’m swamped with schoolwork. It turns out double majoring in business and mechanical engineering isn’t as easy as I thought it would be. The classes aren’t hard, but they have so much work! It’s difficult to get it all done on time. Plus I’ve been trying to stay apprised of what’s happening at Future Industries. My CFO is getting annoyed with all of my phone calls. I’ve also started seeing this guy named Iroh. He’s Fire Nation and comes from a military family, so he spends a lot of time doing ROTC activities. He’s also a senior and a few years older, which is nice after the Mako debacle. We’re both really busy, so we’re taking it slow.

Hope you’re well!

Asami

 

 

…

From: Korra ([avatarkorra@yahoo.com](mailto:avatarkorra@yahoo.com))

To: Asami Sato ([asamisato@gmail.com](mailto:asamisato@gmail.com))

9/21

Subject: weird

 

Asami,

Wow. I just saved Future Industries! Sweet! Does that mean I get half of its profits once you guys start making a profit again? Just kidding. You would totally have thought of the culture of transparency on your own.

The tournament was okay. My team got second. I play center mid. It’s a great position because I get to help score the goals and stop them. I’m not in the Olympics yet, but a college scout from Ba Sing Se University told my coach he was interested in recruiting me. I called him and it seems like a really great program. Let’s hope the scholarship offers start coming!

I guess I have some say in where I end up, but not much. My parents’ legal rights haven’t been terminated yet, so they would have to agree with wherever I go. I do get to decide whether or not I want to be placed for adoption if their rights do get terminated. That’s a solid no! No adoption for me. I don’t hate my parents because they didn’t abandon me. They just don’t have enough money to take care of me. They really do try very hard and I know they love me. Sometimes it makes me tired and I feel sad about it, but I couldn’t hate them.

Hahahahaha. I died when I read what you said about Bolin’s drawings. Surprisingly he’s not failing, but I’m pretty sure it’s just because the teacher doesn’t want to have to deal with him next semester. Right now he has a solid C-.

What? Asami Sato is admitting that something takes effort? I never thought that would happen! I did enjoy your clarification that college isn’t hard, just a lot of work. Classic Asami.

Iroh, huh? Can you send me a picture of him? I’m really happy for you! Anything that gets you to focus on you is a good thing!

Pema’s pregnant again! Can you believe it?! I can’t even imagine how crazy things will be around here with another kid. Jinora, Ikki, and Meelo are nuts enough already!

Bye!

Korra

 

 

…

Our email correspondence continued for the next several months. We would miss a day here or there when one of us got busy, but for the most part, we emailed every day. Asami’s emails were quickly becoming my favorite part of the day. The better I got to know Asami the more her brilliance and sense of humor impressed me. She would talk about the intricacies of Future Industries, but follow it up with witty comments about getting her first speeding ticket (apparently the police were watching her more closely now that her father had been arrested).

Asami had the ability to mask her insecurities and personal tragedies by clothing herself in her humor. It took me awhile to figure this out, so when she made a joke about spending winter break alone, I decided to do something about it.

“Pema,” I began. I was washing dishes after dinner, while she dried them. Even pregnancy couldn’t dim this woman’s devotion to her house and family. Every night there was a delicious vegetarian dinner and every morning a nutritious breakfast. She had asked us to help out more with certain tasks. Thus, evening dishwashing became one of my chores.

“Hmm?” She focused on meticulously drying each rice bowl. Pema was a stickler for watersports. I was not, so I got relegated to dish washing because I did care if the dishes were clean.

“Asami mentioned that she was going to spend her winter break alone because her dad’s in jail and the Beifongs are going on a trip somewhere. Could I invite her to stay with us?” Pema looked hesitant, so I hastily kept talking. “I know it’s already pretty crazy here, but I promise to help with whatever you need because I won’t have soccer or school and Asami won’t add to the insanity. Remember Tenzin said she had a good head on her shoulders? Plus, I’m sure she’ll be willing to help out too.”

Pema waved her dishtowel. “I surrender!” she exclaimed with a laugh. “Are you channeling Ikki or something? You’ve defeated me with an onslaught of words. We have the space, so Asami is more than welcome. If you need me to talk to her to convince her of that, just let me know.”

“Thanks, Pema!” I hugged her with my arms, trying to keep from soaking her with soapy water. I didn’t quite succeed and when I pulled back, she had to wipe bubbles from her face.

“It’s no problem. She shouldn’t have to be alone on the holidays.”

I finished the dishes at warp speed and dashed off to the den to email Asami from the family computer.

 

 

…

From: Korra ([avatarkorra@yahoo.com](mailto:avatarkorra@yahoo.com))

To: Asami Sato ([asamisato@gmail.com](mailto:asamisato@gmail.com))

12/3

Subject: break

 

Asami,

I know you said you’re going to be spending break alone, but if you want, you’re welcome to come spend it on Air Temple Island. Pema invited you. I can’t promise it will be relaxing, but I’m positive it won’t be boring.

I really hope you decide to stay with us!

Korra

 

 

 

…

To: Korra ([avatarkorra@yahoo.com](mailto:avatarkorra@yahoo.com))

From: Asami Sato ([asamisato@gmail.com](mailto:asamisato@gmail.com))

12/5

Subject: break

 

Korra,

Sorry for not getting back to you sooner. Finals were kicking my butt. Thank you so much for the offer. Are you sure I wouldn’t be inconveniencing Pema and Tenzin if I decide to stay with you? I can contribute financially if that will make things easier on them.

Thanks again!

Asami

 

 

…

From: Korra ([avatarkorra@yahoo.com](mailto:avatarkorra@yahoo.com))

To: Asami Sato ([asamisato@gmail.com](mailto:asamisato@gmail.com))

12/5

Subject: Re: break

 

Pema says it’s fine. We have space for you and they’re not exactly hurting financially. Come and stay with us!

 

 

 

…

To: Korra ([avatarkorra@yahoo.com](mailto:avatarkorra@yahoo.com))

From: Asami Sato ([asamisato@gmail.com](mailto:asamisato@gmail.com))

12/5

Subject: Re: break

 

Okay! It sounds like it will be fun. I’m done with finals in two days, so I can arrive on the 7th if that’s okay with you guys.

 

 

 

…

From: Korra ([avatarkorra@yahoo.com](mailto:avatarkorra@yahoo.com))

To: Asami Sato ([asamisato@gmail.com](mailto:asamisato@gmail.com))

12/5

Subject: Re: break

 

Yeah! Text me if you need a ride or something. Good luck with finals and see you soon!

 

 

 

…

To: Korra ([avatarkorra@yahoo.com](mailto:avatarkorra@yahoo.com))

From: Asami Sato ([asamisato@gmail.com](mailto:asamisato@gmail.com))

12/5

Subject: Re: break

 

Thanks, Korra.

Asami

 

 

…

Two days later, Meelo, Ikki, and I were kicking a soccer ball around the front yard when Asami pulled up in her red Satomobile. She climbed out of the driver’s seat, as lithe as ever.

Clearly the freshmen fifteen (or junior, in her case) hadn’t affected her. She grabbed her bag from the backseat and swung it over her shoulder, flipping her hair in the process.

“Hey, guys!” she called with a wave.

“Beautiful woman!” Meelo shouted as he ran over to her. “I will carry your bags for you.”

Asami let out a throaty laugh and reached down to muss his short, buzzed hair. “Thanks, Meelo.”

Meelo gasped. “Beautiful woman knows my name!”

“Of course I do. I’ve met you a few times. My name is Asami.”

“May I have a piece of your hair, beautiful woman?” he asked, staggering under the weight of the bag he had taken from Asami.

That’s when I decided to step in. “That’s creepy, Meelo. Take that bag to Asami’s room. Don’t go through it or I’ll know.”

I shook my head at the crazy kid as he ran off, and Ikki took over. “Hi Asami! Do you know my name too? I’m Ikki and my older sister is Jinora and my mom is Pema and my dad is Tenzin. Korra’s not really my sister, but she pretty much is. Is that your natural hair color? Are you really as smart as Korra says? How come your dad joined the Equalists?”

“Ikki!” I exclaimed. “That’s enough. Why don’t you go tell your mom Asami’s here.”

She, too, departed and finally I could talk to Asami. “Hey, Korra,” she greeted me with a crooked smile; obviously she’d been affected by Ikki’s question about her dad.

“Hey,” I managed through a mouth that suddenly felt like it was filled with cotton. Why could I still not talk to her? We’d been emailing every day for months. “D’you—Did you have a good trip?”

“It wasn’t too bad,” she said. Oh, God. She was humoring me by answering my stupid question. “Thanks again for inviting me to stay. Spending the holidays alone would have been really depressing.”

“Yeah, of course. I’m glad you agreed.” I fervently hoped Pema would come outside soon. Thankfully she stepped onto the porch a moment later to take over as the welcoming committee. Yes! I was saved.

 Asami gave me a funny look as we went inside.

 

 

…

On the eve of the Winter Solstice, I sat in the gazebo overlooking the bay. It was cold, but I found comfort in the stars. The night sky might look different than in the South Pole, but the concept was the same.

“Can I join you?” Asami’s voice punctured the quiet of the night.

I shrugged. Words were too hard to contend with right now.

I could hear the heels of her knee-high leather boots clacking on the wood before she sat down beside me and wrapped her arms around her legs. “Do you want to talk about it?”

“It’s the first Winter Solstice I haven’t heard from my parents. No phone call, no card. Nothing.” I sighed and rested my chin on my knees. “I know they don’t have much money, but they’ve always managed before on major holidays.”

Asami nodded thoughtfully. “I know how you feel.”

“Shit. I’m sorry, Asami! I wasn’t thinking. Obviously your situation is harder.” Why could I not get through a conversation without sounding like an inconsiderate idiot?

“I don’t think it’s harder, just different. Holidays are always hard when you miss someone you love. The Winter Solstice is when I miss my mom the most. Did I ever tell you about her?”

I shook my head.

“She loved the Winter Solstice. A month before, she had the whole mansion cleaned and decorated. My dad wanted to hire people to hang the lights, but she insisted they do it themselves. When I was old enough, I got to help too. I’d make decorations and Mom would proudly display them on the mantle in the den or on the front of the tree even though they were terrible. The last December before she died, I accidentally broke her favorite Winter Solstice ornament. I was inconsolable and sobbed no matter how many times she told me it was okay. She was the best mother I could have asked for. She didn’t get angry even though it was her absolute favorite. That night I made her a replacement in my dad’s workshop. She said she loved it even more than the one I’d broken.

“God, I miss her. Sometimes I wonder what she’d think of me, especially now after this whole mess with my dad. Would she approve of the decisions I’ve made?” Asami sighed and wiped a lone tear from the corner of her eye. Had I not been watching her surreptitiously, I wouldn’t have known she was getting emotional.

“She’d be proud,” I said softly. “She’d be so proud.” I didn’t dare touch Asami, but at least I could offer her words of comfort.

Asami bit her lip hard, fighting for control, and when she spoke again, her voice broke. “How do you know?”

I thought about it. I wasn’t sure how I knew, but I knew it with every fiber of my being. My bones almost ached with certainty. “It’s just like her ornament, except this time you’re fixing things someone else broke and you’re doing it to keep her memory alive. She couldn’t be anything but proud.”

Asami looked at me then, really looked at me, eyes filled with tears and wonder. “How did you know that?”

“What?” I asked, distracted by her attention.

“How did you know that I decided to fight for my company in order to keep her memory alive?”

I smiled ruefully at her and fingered the worn out photo of my parents that I’d stuck in my jeans pocket earlier that night. “Because I know what it’s like to be so lonely that you hold onto something tangible in order to feel connected to someone who loved you.” I pulled out the picture and handed it to Asami.

She studied it for a moment, an unreadable expression on her face, and handed me an almost identical photo that she retrieved from her wallet. I stared down at it, trying to process what had happened. When I looked back up, our eyes locked. It was one of the few moments in life when you fully understand the person you’re with and know they understand you too.

A horn from a boat in the distance sounded and the moment was broken. She smiled sheepishly at me and we returned each other’s photos. A few minutes later, Asami got up and went back inside, leaving me alone to ponder everything we’d talked about. Years later Asami told me that was the only time anyone had seen her cry since she was a little girl.

 

 

…

The only other notable event of that winter break was the Future Industries holiday party. Tenzin and his family were invited because he was a high-ranking government official, but I could have gotten out of it if Asami hadn’t insisted I come. That was the one downside to her staying with us.

“C’mon, Korra,” Asami chided from outside the bathroom where I had barricaded myself as I tried to maneuver into my dress.

I hated dresses. They were evil incarnate. There was a popular book that had a character who preferred wizarding robes to pants, saying, “I like a healthy breeze around my privates, thanks.” Well, I didn’t agree with that sentiment at all. Personally, I liked my privates to be covered, preferably at all times except bathing. Plus, my boobs were larger than I wanted them to be and they had a tendency to spill over whatever I was wearing if I didn’t keep them locked down in a sports bra.

Pema, knowing my distaste for dresses, had found a dress for me that addressed all of these concerns and met my style requirements. It was blue, sleeveless, long, and had a high neckline. However, it was still a dress, so I did quite a bit of grumbling as I put it on. Finally, I couldn’t delay anymore because I was clothed and Asami needed to do my hair, so I opened the door.

She stared at me openmouthed for a second and said, “Wow.” She turned bright red impressively fast. “Sorry. You’ve put on a lot of muscle since I last saw you without sleeves.” She seemed to realize that wasn’t helping to make the situation less weird and held up a hand for silence before I could respond. “Let’s try this again. You look very nice in your dress. How would you like me to do your hair?”

I shrugged. What did I know about hair? Besides, I didn’t think I could talk after hearing her reaction.

“Excellent. Then I have free reign!” Asami forced me into a chair she’d dragged into the bathroom and set about doing something hair-related.

She chatted as she worked, but I tuned her out. I was too busy staring at her modest red dress that was somehow classy without being boring. The neckline revealed nothing, but hinted at something and the hemline hugged her knees in a way that I thought must make it difficult to walk. She wasn’t as muscular as I was, but the three-quarter length sleeves did accent the definition in her muscles. Her hair was flawless as usual; tonight she had it swept over one shoulder, held in place with a clip at the base of her neck. She’d gone with her classic red lipstick, but her eye makeup was a bit darker than it usually was day-to-day. My favorite part of her look was her bare feet. Obviously she would put on some obscenely high heels before we left, but right now she stood barefoot in the bathroom, chatting about nothing. The intimacy of seeing her completely at ease filled me with a warmth I didn’t expect.

“There!” she proclaimed.

She’d given me a traditional Water Tribe hairstyle, complete with a tiny cap that covered my bun. “How’d you know?” I asked in amazement.

“I am in college, so I can Google pretty well,” she said with a straight face. “Now, let’s get you to the party before you can find an excuse to ditch it.”

We rode together and picked up Mako and Bolin on our way. Tenzin and Co. had decided to meet us there due to a lack of space in the car. I was looking forward to spending time with the three of them, but when we arrived, Iroh appeared. I’d seen his picture before and he was even more handsome in person. He was like an older, more refined version of Mako (who, incidentally, didn’t look thrilled about the arrangement). He was polite too, which made it hard to hate him. I spent the rest of the night sitting with Mako, watching Bolin stuff food into his face and Asami dance with and introduce people to her boyfriend.

That sinking feeling I felt? It definitely wasn’t jealousy, I decided. Just like later that night when I convinced Mako and Bolin to skinny dip with me in the bay after Asami went home with Iroh (after first making sure we had a way to get home because she’s perfect), I wasn’t trying to avoid thinking about them having sex.

When school resumed and I had to explain to Katara why I had a cold, she was less than pleased and resolved that we had to work harder to control my impulsivity. Thankfully she chalked it up to me being upset over my parents’ custody being terminated.

 

 

…

During the spring semester, the vast majority of Asami’s and my emails went something like this:

 

From: Korra ([avatarkorra@yahoo.com](mailto:avatarkorra@yahoo.com))

To: Asami Sato ([asamisato@gmail.com](mailto:asamisato@gmail.com))

1/10

Subject: so tired!

 

Asami,

I’m so tired!!! School soccer is kicking my butt, especially since three days a week I have to go to ODP practice after school practice. It’s insane. I have to eat constantly because I’m burning so many calories. Fortunately, my teachers are pretty understanding and let me eat in class.

Oh! Did I tell you I got a scholarship offer from University of the Northern Water Tribe? That makes three full scholarship offers! Of course, they’re not official yet, but I’ll need to verbal in the coming months. I’m still leaning toward Ba Sing Se University because they have the best women’s soccer program and decent academics. It’s no Zaofu University, but they hold their own in the arts and sciences.

How are you doing? How are school and Iroh? Are you ready to take over Future Industries?

Later!

Korra

P.S. I almost forgot!!! Pema had her baby!!!! He was a few weeks early, but he’s doing okay. They named him Rohan. Babies are lame. They look like aliens and all they do is eat and cry. Basically, I’m not a fan. Pema says their main merit is that they snuggle. I’m not buying it.

 

 

…

To: Korra ([avatarkorra@yahoo.com](mailto:avatarkorra@yahoo.com))

From: Asami Sato ([asamisato@gmail.com](mailto:asamisato@gmail.com))

1/11

Subject: I’m exhausted too!

 

Korra,

I feel you on the exhaustion, but my tiredness is more from academic overexertion and lack of sleep. I can’t even imagine trying to keep your schedule. At least I get to do my schoolwork on my own time (which, admittedly, is all the time).

Congrats on the scholarship offers! That’s so great! I don’t know much about BSSU’s soccer program, but they are a solid academic choice!

I’m doing all right. School is a lot of work, but I suppose I’m keeping up with it. I’m not a procrastinator, but that would not be an option even if that was my natural inclination. I don’t know if my degree is going to prepare me to run Future Industries, but at least it will give me credibility. I think I’ll be okay, provided I can earn people’s trust and respect.

Iroh is great. A few days ago he told me he loved me, a sentiment I returned. I think I’m going to marry him some day. He’s so sweet and he comes from a great family.

Have a good weekend!

Asami

P.S. Wow!!! I’ll have to send a congratulations card to them! I agree about babies, by the way. They are not my favorite. Machines are so much easier.

 

 

…

That was when I decided I was okay with Iroh as long as he made Asami happy.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> How is the spacing on this? It's tricky to get right because of the emails. Anyway, thanks for reading! Comments are always appreciated!


	7. Chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Present Day: Jinora explains to Korra what it means to be in love with someone.

**Present Day**

Naga whined and stuck her nose in Korra’s face. She checked and found it was 9:00, time for her to let Naga out.

“Hey, ‘Nora, want to walk Naga with me?” Korra asked, nudging the girl who had fallen asleep again.

Jinora rubbed the sleep from her eyes and rolled off of Korra. Somehow she managed to land on her feet. Korra was convinced she could fly. “Okay. Can we go down to the bay? It’s summer, so Mom and Dad won’t mind if I’m out later.”

“Sure.”

Korra, Jinora, and Naga raced to the back door where the dog’s leash hung on a hook. Korra attached it to Naga’s collar, took a deep breath of preparation, and opened the door. Naga shot through it like she’d been released from a cannon, pulling Korra behind her. Jinora ran after them until Korra could dig in her heels enough to slow the Great Pyrenees down a few minutes later. Once this nightly ritual had concluded, they were able to continue peacefully to the bay.

“Can I ask you a question?” Korra asked Jinora tentatively.

“Of course.”

“How do you know if you’re in love with someone?”

“You’re asking the fifteen year old who has never had a boyfriend?” Jinora teased.

Korra nudged her with a sly smile on her face. “What about Kai? He’s not your boyfriend?”

“ _We do not talk about Kai!”_ Jinora hissed. “You know my dad won’t let me have a boyfriend and if he hears ‘Kai’ and ‘boyfriend’ in the same sentence, I’ll never get to see him again!”

“Okay, okay!” Korra laughed.

“Anyway,” Jinora said, her expression turned thoughtful. “I think love is when you sort of see the world through the lens of another person. I don’t mean your whole life becomes about that person, just that you take them into consideration in every decision you make and they’re the one you want to tell about when something good or bad happens.”

Korra considered Jinora’s explanation. She might only be fifteen, but she was wise beyond her years in many aspects of life. Jinora had a way of seeing and explaining the world in new and unique ways. “How is that different from a crush?”

Jinora took a long time to answer. “I think,” she said slowly, “that a crush is more about you. You want to be around the other person. You want to make them laugh so they’ll like you. Being in love with them is more selfless. You think about them when making plans so they’ll know you care about them. You want to make them laugh because you want them to be happy. The longer you love them, the more they are integrated into your life so that it’s hard to know where your desires end and theirs begin. It’s inconceivable that you wouldn’t take them into consideration because they’re such a part of you. Every time you leave them, you leave a part of yourself behind.”

Korra stopped dead in her tracks and stared at Jinora’s back. “What?” Jinora asked, turning around when she realized Korra was no longer beside her.

“Nothing,” Korra murmured as she tugged on Naga’s leash to get her moving again. “That was just deep.”

They continued in silence for a few minutes, listening to the gentle splash of the water against the shore.

“Is that how I feel about Asami?” Korra finally ventured to ask aloud.

Jinora snorted and grabbed Korra’s hand. “Korra, for as long as I can remember, you’ve been wearing a pair of Asami-strength glasses and her happiness is what matters most to you. You were willing to let her be with Iroh until you realized she wasn’t happy with him. Now you’re struggling to admit that you want to be the one to make her happy because you’re worried she won’t feel the same way.”

Jinora had hit the nail on the head with that observation. “What if she doesn’t?” Korra asked, afraid of the answer.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for all of your kind comments! I know it's still pretty early in the story, but if there's something you would like to see between present day Korra and and Asami, please let me know. I finished the main part of the story and am not sure what to put in the epilogue chapter(s) (chapter 18 and following if necessary). I can't promise to use every idea because certain things might not fit in the characterization/plot of this story; however, I am definitely hoping for suggestions.
> 
> Comments and constructive criticism are appreciated!


	8. Chapter 8

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Five Years Ago: Korra navigates her friendship with Asami and her senior year of high school.

**Five Years Ago**

The summer before my senior year of high school was momentous for several reasons. First, Asami graduated with a degree in business and another in mechanical engineering.  Mako, Bolin, Opal, and I flew out to Zaofu to support her. She wasn’t planning on walking at graduation because no one would be there to watch, but we convinced her she should. The pictures we took that day are things I knew I would always keep; Asami radiated joy in a way I’d never seen. After graduation she moved back to Republic City to take over Future Industries. Despite her new role as CEO, she still took the time to email me at least once every couple of days.

Second, I discovered that my whole life had been a lie. The truth came out when the Northern and Southern Water Tribes nearly fought a civil war with my dad egging on the southerners and his brother leading the northerners.

 

 

…

To: Korra ([avatarkorra@yahoo.com](mailto:avatarkorra@yahoo.com))

From: Asami Sato ([asamisato@gmail.com](mailto:asamisato@gmail.com))

8/20

Subject: current events

 

Korra,

Did you hear about the near civil war between the Northern and Southern Water Tribe? Apparently the chief of the Northern Tribe, Unalaq, decided that they should exert more authority over the South. Tonraq, Unalaq’s brother was supposed to be chief, but he was forced out of the North after he was caught in a bribery scheme. Anyway, Tonraq has been living in the Southern Water Tribe ever since and he led a force to stop Unalaq. He must be a better diplomat than his brother because he managed to diffuse the situation before it could come to blows. However, now Tonraq is on trial for the bribery charges he fled twenty years ago. Such drama!

Nothing that dramatic is happening on my end. My dad’s trial starts next week, but he’s pleading guilty, so it won’t last long. It turns out Future Industries isn’t quite as financially solvent as my CFO has been leading me to believe. Actually, we’re nearly broke. I’ve been scrambling to find contracts or look into markets we haven’t yet tapped into. Our research and development department has been working nonstop to try to create an idea for a new product that will stimulate company growth.

Being back home is strange. I think I told you before that Iroh was going to stay with me for a couple of weeks until I got settled back in. That helped a lot, but I just keep remembering all of the good and bad things that happened here.

How’s soccer going? Are you ready to start your senior year?

Have a good day!

Asami

 

 

...

I read that email twice and nearly passed out. Tonraq was my dad. My dad was responsible for the fact that they had no money. I knew he used to be in politics and that he’d gotten forced out, but I’d assumed he was the victim! I never knew he was at fault!

I ran to the kitchen where I caught Tenzin just before he left for work. “Tenzin! Didyouknowmydadwasacorruptpolitician?” I demanded.

He turned around in surprise, one hand still on the doorknob. “Sorry? I know Ikki’s my daughter, but that was a little fast even for me.”

I took a deep breath. “Did you know that my dad was a corrupt politician who got kicked out of office for taking bribes?” I asked more slowly.

“Um…” This was new. Tenzin was never at a loss for words. I refused to let him off the hook, so I stood there, indignant with my hands on my hips, until he answered. Finally, he sighed, and said, “Yes. I knew about that, but I don’t think you or I have the full story.”

“It doesn’t matter! I’ve been in foster care for almost my whole life because he chose corruption over honesty! What possible excuse could there be for his actions?”

Tenzin ran a hand over his bald head. “I don’t know, kid. I can’t ever imagine taking that route, but I’ll see what I can find out today. You should see if you can get ahold of him to hear his side of it.”

“Not a chance,” I said flatly. I would not be talking to my father ever again.

Tenzin sighed again and patted me on the shoulder. “It’s your choice. Try to have a good first day.”

That’s right. I still had to go to school. Great. Most of my friends wouldn’t even be there. Mako and Opal had graduated. He was off to the police academy and she was following in the footsteps of Asami and attending Zaofu.  Bolin and I would be alone. At least I’d have soccer afterwards to look forward to. With that thought, I went back upstairs to email Asami.

 

 

…

From: Korra ([avatarkorra@yahoo.com](mailto:avatarkorra@yahoo.com))

To: Asami Sato ([asamisato@gmail.com](mailto:asamisato@gmail.com))

8/21

Subject: yeah…about that

 

Asami,

I’m sorry to hear about your company, but I’m sure you’ll get it under control soon. I don’t really know what else to say about this. Hopefully when your dad’s trial is over everything will get better.

I’m glad Iroh was able to help you settle in. I definitely understand what you mean about it feeling weird to be back home. If you ever want company, just email or text and I’ll see if I can come over.

So, something you should know. Unalaq is my uncle and Tonraq is my dad. I didn’t know any of that stuff about them before you told me, so that’s pretty weird. For years I’ve been telling myself that it wasn’t my parents’ fault that I’m in care, but now I can’t make excuses for them anymore. It beyond sucks.

Korra

 

 

…

To: Korra ([avatarkorra@yahoo.com](mailto:avatarkorra@yahoo.com))

From: Asami Sato ([asamisato@gmail.com](mailto:asamisato@gmail.com))

8/21

Subject: sorry!!!!!

 

Korra,

I’m so, so, so sorry I told you about Tonraq and Unalaq like that. It’s bad enough that they’re your family; it’s even worse that you didn’t know about it and I broke it to you casually. I’m so sorry! I had no idea. If you want to talk about it, please call or stop by. I owe you big time.

I don’t know about Future Industries. It’s really looking like we’re sunk. I have a meeting with a company later this week about a partnership, but I’m not holding my breath. Two weeks in and I’m already failing as a CEO.

Thanks for the offer. I’ll let you know if I ever need company J.

Sorry again!

Asami

 

 

…

For the next week, I felt like I sleepwalked through life. I did everything I was supposed to in school and for soccer, but I wasn’t mentally or emotionally present. It was just too much to take in. I knew Asami was concerned and tired of my perfunctory emails when I got a call from her secretary early the following Friday.

“Huh?” was all I managed when I answered the phone. I checked my watch and found it was 6:00, past time for me to be awake. Pema must have been letting me sleep in.

_“Hello. This is Lee, Ms. Sato’s assistant.”_ The voice was entirely too pleasant this early in the morning.

“Mmmkay.” I yawned and sat up in bed, figuring I didn’t have time to go back to sleep anyway. The small part of my mind that was functioning was impressed that Asami had a personal assistant.

_“Ms. Sato requests your presence at her residence this evening if you’re available.”_

Ms. Sato requests my presence. HA! “I’m available,” I told him. I rolled out of bed and landed in a heap on the floor. I prayed Lee didn’t hear it, but his long pause told me he was debating whether or not to address the loud noise. Fortunately, he didn’t.

_“She’s taking the day off, so she will pick you up at school at the end of the day.”_

“Okay, thanks.” By now I had thrown on a pair of sweats and was trying to figure out how to put on a bra with a phone in my hand. Needless to say it wasn’t going well.

_“Very good. I will inform Miss Sato. Have a pleasant day.”_

He hung up without further ado and the rest of my day was a blur. Most of me was still numb, but a small Asami-sized piece was excited about seeing her. Sure enough, at the end of the day, I walked out the back entrance where parents picked up their children, and saw a crowd of people gawking at Asami’s latest Satomobile. Business might not be going well, but that girl always had a new car.

“Hey!” she called with a grin that made my stomach flip. Her enthusiasm coaxed a reluctant smile from me in return as I hopped over the passenger door into the front seat.

We drove to Asami’s house in near silence. She attempted to chitchat in the beginning, but I responded with grunts or half-hearted nods. It was just too hard to force myself to care about something besides the fact that my dad was a lying asshole who’d ruined his life, and by extension, mine.

As we pulled into her garage and she shut off the engine, she reached over and turned my head so I would look at her. “Listen,” she said, “I understand that you’re upset. I understand what you’re going through, probably better than anyone. You were there for me when I needed it, so I’m going to be here for you. I need you to talk to me. Tell me what’s going on in your head. When Tenzin called me to tell me you weren’t doing well—“

“Tenzin called you?” I interrupted. “Why can’t people mind their own fucking business and leave me alone! I don’t need your pity. I don’t need his concern. Just leave me the hell alone!”

Asami was unimpressed. “First of all, I didn’t need him to call me; I was already concerned. Second, it’s his business to take care of you because he’s your legal guardian. He thought I was the best person to talk to because of my dad. Third, I don’t pity you; I understand what you’re going through. There’s a world of difference. Fourth, you need to calm the fuck down and lose the attitude. You’re one of my closest friends and I love you, but this ends now. Got it?”

I nodded mutely, ashamed. She was right. It wasn’t fair for me to take my anger out on her or Tenzin when it was my dad who was the one I was really angry at.

“Good. Then let’s go inside and see about some dinner.”

I followed Asami into the house. It was still impressive, but I wasn’t as intimidated as I was during my first visit. For one, there was no chance of running into her father. For another, I wasn’t so afraid of Asami anymore, justified outbursts notwithstanding. “Why’d you take the day off?” I asked, remembering Lee’s mention of it early that morning.

I could see her tense up momentarily, but she relaxed before I could mention it. “My dad’s sentencing was today. I felt I should go. He’s going to spend the rest of his life in prison. It’s better than execution, I suppose.”

I froze, mid step. Well crap. Now that I thought about it, I vaguely remembered Asami mentioning that in one of her emails. “Wow. I’m a shitty friend,” I told her as we entered the kitchen.

She turned around after retrieving a bag of Doritos from a high cabinet and smiled at me. “No, Korra. You’re anything but that.” We sat down at the kitchen bar to devour our snack.

Once I was sated enough to eat at a normal pace, I noticed Asami was watching me. “What?” I asked self-consciously.

“I need to say something,” she said hesitantly. “It’s going to make you angry, but I need to say it.”

“Okay…”

Asami ran a hand through her long black hair that was always going to be one of my favorite things to look at. “I think you should call your dad.”

“Asami—“ I started, warning her with my tone.

“Hear me out,” she interrupted. “Here’s the difference between your situation and mine: you don’t know your dad is guilty. My father confessed to his crimes. Yours hasn’t. I’ve seen the evidence. You haven’t. I’ve met the families of the people who died as a result of his actions. You haven’t had to do that because even if your dad is guilty, no one died. You should talk to your dad because if he isn’t guilty, then you’re missing out on having him back in your life for no good reason.”

I had no response to that. As always, Asami was right. I should talk to my dad to at least hear what he had to say for himself. Instead of responding to her, I picked up my phone and dialed the last number I had for him.

_“Hello? Korra?”_ He picked up on the first ring.

I had to swallow the lump in my throat a few times before I could respond. “Hi, Dad.” Asami put her hand on my shoulder, which was not helping my near tears.

_“Korra! I’m so sorry for everything that’s happened. I called Tenzin and he said you wouldn’t talk to me. I need you to know that I’d never do anything to hurt you. I swear on Raava’s spirit that I’m innocent. I’ve been trying to prove for years that I didn’t do it, but haven’t been able to get anywhere.”_

Asami chimed in unexpectedly; apparently she could hear everything. “That’s your problem.”

_“Korra? Who was that?”_

“Uh…it’s Asami, Dad. She’s my friend. She’s the one who made me call you.”

_“Well, I like her already. Asami, can you elaborate?”_

“Of course.” Asami’s voice took on a professional tone. “Your problem is that you tried to prove you didn’t do anything. In essence, you tried to prove a negative, which is flawed logic; you cannot prove a negative. What you need to do is prove that you were set up. Focus on proving that someone else is guilty of setting you up.”

_“How would I even know where to start?”_

“It’s easy. Who stood the most to gain?” Wow, Asami was super impressive with this whole logic/problem solving thing.

There was a along pause. _“My brother Unalaq took over after I was forced to leave, but I can’t believe he would do such a thing. He’s family.”_

“I don’t know him personally, but I do know that my father never trusted him,” Asami said helpfully, but quickly realized that was maybe not the most convincing argument. “I mean, I know my father did terrible things, but you can usually count on the untrustworthy to know whom not to trust.”

_“Well, I can’t fault that logic,”_ Tonraq laughed. _“The problem is that I don’t have access to any information that could prove he did it.”_

Asami and I looked at each other. “Let us talk to Tenzin and see what we can find,” she said and looked at me expectantly.

“Dad, I really hope you’re telling the truth. I don’t want to believe you’re guilty.” That lump in my throat was back.

_“I’m innocent, Korra. I promise you that. I love you so much, my beautiful girl.”_

“Me too, Dad,” I whispered.

Once I’d gotten ahold of myself, I called Tenzin and told him the situation. He said he’d do everything in his power to make sure the right person was blamed for both the near civil war between the Northern and Southern Water Tribes as well as the bribery incident before I was born.

Asami and I spent the next few hours gorging ourselves on pizza and engaging in girl talk. 

“So, how’s Iroh?” I asked, sitting down on the couch I remembered from two years ago. I’d only met Iroh in passing once or twice and didn’t know him very well. Plus, I was fascinated by what seemed to me like an adult relationship. As far as I knew, Asami and Iroh didn’t fight over stupid things like jealousy over talking to the opposite sex like most high school relationships I’d seen.

She smiled as she sipped the wine she wouldn’t even let me try because I was underage. “He’s doing well. He’s a sergeant now in the Fire Nation army and is on track to be promoted in the next few months, which is unusual for someone just out of school.”

“Do you really love him?” I asked.

Asami looked at me thoughtfully. “I think I do. I love knowing that he cares about me, so our relationship isn’t one-sided. I love knowing I can call him at the end of a bad day without feeling like I’m infringing upon his life. He makes my life better and I try to be a better person because of him. If that’s not love, I’m not sure if I know what love is.”

“Hmm,” I responded noncommittally. “What about kissing and sex and stuff?” I’d never forgotten how disappointed I was when kissing Mako turned out to be less than I’d hoped. Maybe Asami would tell me something that would help in the future.

To my surprise, Asami’s face turned red and she hid behind her wine glass. “Korra!”

“What? Don’t girls talk about these things?” Admittedly, I didn’t really know.

“I don’t know. I’ve never talked to anyone about it.”

“Don’t you want to?” Maybe I was the only one who wanted to discuss the physical stuff.

Asami fixed me with a measured look, but sighed and touched her forehead as if her head ached, somehow managing not to spill her wine. “Yes,” she admitted. “Sometimes I do.”

I settled back into the cushions and grinned. “Great. Then talk.”

“I don’t know where to start.”

“Well, you must have something you want to say, but if you can’t think of anything, let’s start with this: do you like kissing him and having sex with him?”

There was a long pause before Asami said anything. I couldn’t tell if she was gathering her courage to talk about an uncomfortable topic or if she was really unsure. Finally, she said, “Yes. Sometimes. I don’t know.”

“Wow, I’m convinced!” I said, hoping to lighten the moment. Asami was starting to tear up. Thankfully, she let out a choked laugh.

“It’s not bad,” she clarified, sounding more certain. “Iroh is comfortable. I feel confident when I’m with him, like I never have to pretend or try hard. Kissing him is nice and sometimes so is the sex. Mostly I like when he holds me. Nobody touches me, really, except for him. I spend so much time convincing myself I don’t need it, but when he holds me I realize how starved I am for human contact.” Asami abruptly cut herself off and covered her mouth. “I can’t believe I just said that.”

I shrugged. “Why? I understand how you feel. I spent two years in a group home, remember? I know what it’s like to crave human contact.”

“I’d forgotten.” Asami looked at me with compassion.

I kept pressing the issue even though I knew Asami would rather move on. “How about passion, though? Do you feel that with Iroh?”

She hesitated for a long moment. “Not especially. Physical intimacy with him is pleasant, and like I said before, comfortable, but it doesn’t set me on fire like books and movies lead you to believe.”

“Why don’t you find someone who makes you feel like that, then?”

“A couple of reasons, really. For one, I think passion is over-emphasized in our culture. I’m not sure it anyone actually feels the way the media want you to think. Plus, I really do enjoy being with Iroh.” Asami let out a laugh rueful laugh before saying, “And for another, it’s hard to stop having sex once you start having it. I’d rather have someone meet my needs instead of doing it myself. You know?”

“Uh…” I didn’t quite have a response to that. I knew what she meant conceptually, but not from personal experience.

Asami rolled her eyes. “Come on, Korra. What did you do when you broke up with Mako?”

I turned my face into the couch cushion and groaned in embarrassment. “I never slept with him,” I muttered.

“What?”

I pulled my face out, but covered my eyes with my hands. “I never slept with him, okay?”

She made a noise of surprise. “Really?”

“Really.”

“Wow. No wonder you guys broke up so fast. He must have been going crazy.”

When I realized she wasn’t making fun of me, I dissolved into giggles, followed soon by Asami. Before long we were huddled close together on the couch, trying to catch our breath, no longer sure what we were laughing at. We were not touching, however. I always made sure not to touch her.

“Korra…are you a virgin?” Asami asked me, her eyes finding mine once we’d settled down a bit.

My heart started pounding, both at her intensity and from the question. “Yes. Mako wanted to sleep with me, but I told him I wanted to take things slow. Really, I was just scared.” I’d never told anyone that before.

“That’s understandable,” Asami said. “You’re allowed to be scared. Even when the timing’s right, your first time is scary.”

“Thanks.” That helped, I supposed, though thinking of Asami’s first time certainly made some strange feelings occur.

“What about now? Are you interested in anyone? It’s been a long time since you dated Mako and I never hear you talk about guys.”

Was that a leading question? I opened my mouth, wanting desperately to share with her that I didn’t like anyone—that I thought something was wrong with me because I didn’t like kissing Mako and didn’t really want to kiss anyone else. Instead, I smiled at Asami in a way I hoped was convincing and said, “Nah. I don’t have time for that stuff. I’m too busy.”

When I got home later that night, I lay in bed and tried to determine what I was feeling. There was a pocket of emptiness inside of my stomach that physically ached. It felt almost like…I missed Asami. Did I really miss her? How could I? I had just left her. Maybe it was just gas.

 

 

…

From: Korra ([avatarkorra@yahoo.com](mailto:avatarkorra@yahoo.com))

To: Asami Sato ([asamisato@gmail.com](mailto:asamisato@gmail.com))

9/20

Subject: updates!

 

Asami,

So, you know how Tenzin’s been searching for evidence against Unalaq? He finally found something! It turns out that my uncle hired a whole band of people to make it look like my dad accepted bribes. He hired the people to do the bribing as well as others to plant the bribes. Here’s the crazy thing. My dad isn’t the most spiritual person, which is a problem as a future leader of the Water Tribe, particularly in the North. My uncle decided to exploit that by making the bribes come from people who support a more secular society. When my dad was found out, there was no choice but for my grandfather (who was chief at the time) to banish him and all of his credibility was destroyed.

New paragraph. I talked to my dad yesterday and told him I was sorry for not believing him. I hope that makes you proud of me. It hurt to swallow my pride. He said that the Southern Water Tribe was so impressed with his leadership, despite the fact that he had nothing, that he’s going to be second in command until the current chief retires in a few years. Then my dad will be chief! They’ll finally have enough money to have a house in one place! I could go live with them! I won’t, but I love, love, love knowing that’s going to be an option in a few weeks.

I’m really sorry to hear that Future Industries is still struggling so badly. It sucks that no one is willing to contract with you even though you have the best products. What do you sell again? I know you majored in mechanical engineering, so I’m guessing cars or something?

OH! Remember the English teacher, Varrick? He has a small film studio and decided to cast Bolin as the hero Nuktuk in an upcoming movie about the near civil war between the two Water Tribes. How crazy is that? “From foster care to the movie screen” is the slogan Bolin came up with. Personally, I think it could do with some work.

Bye!

Korra

 

 

…

To: Korra ([avatarkorra@yahoo.com](mailto:avatarkorra@yahoo.com))

From: Asami Sato ([asamisato@gmail.com](mailto:asamisato@gmail.com))

9/23

Subject: life…

 

Korra,

I’m so happy to hear about your dad’s innocence and that everything seems to be working out for him and your mom! It’s great to hear you so excited about your family. I’m also really proud of you for calling your dad on your own to apologize. That was really big of you, especially since his innocence doesn’t bring your childhood back.

In terms of business, I’m ruined. Unless I get a contract by the end of the week, Future Industries is finished. No one will hire me because they think I was in on my dad’s schemes, so without Future Industries, I’m nothing.  Iroh offered to have me move in with him in the Fire Nation. The only problem is that the Fire Nation is rather old-fashioned and doesn’t approve of non-married people cohabitating, so it would have to be secret. I never thought I’d be a stay-at-home wife (or girlfriend, in this case), but I guess that’s where I’m headed. It’s not that there’s anything wrong with that; it’s just not who I ever thought I’d be, especially with the secrecy involved.

We do sell cars. We focus in machinery of all types, but our biggest markets are cars, drilling equipment, and the heavy-duty machinery you see in factories.

Bolin is such a wild card! He’s always doing something different. Let’s hope his acting is better than his drawing ability and ability as a wordsmith.

Hope you’re well,

Asami

 

 

…

From: Korra ([avatarkorra@yahoo.com](mailto:avatarkorra@yahoo.com))

To: Asami Sato ([asamisato@gmail.com](mailto:asamisato@gmail.com))

9/23

Subject: Re: life…      

 

ASAMI!

I talked to my dad about your whole my-company-is-out-of-money-and-no-one-will-buy-my-stuff situation and he wants to help! See, the Southern Water Tribe has been contracting with Cabbage Corp. for years and hates dealing with them because their equipment is “shoddy.” Whatever that means. They’ve been looking for alternatives and my dad said that Future Industries seems like a great option. They need government cars, drilling equipment since there’s lots of oil there, and snowmobiles (cliché, I know. I’m not even sure if you make them).

Let me know!

 

 

…

To: Korra ([avatarkorra@yahoo.com](mailto:avatarkorra@yahoo.com))

From: Asami Sato ([asamisato@gmail.com](mailto:asamisato@gmail.com))

9/24

Subject: Re: life…

I would love for Future Industries to contract with the Southern Water Tribe. It’s a market we haven’t been able to tap into because of Cabbage Corp. The only problem is that I don’t want this to be charity. Could you give me your dad’s phone number so I can call him and get further information?

Snowmobiles? We definitely don’t make those, but I can design a good one if I’m given a few days.

You’re the best, Korra!

Asami

 

 

…

From: Korra ([avatarkorra@yahoo.com](mailto:avatarkorra@yahoo.com))

To: Asami Sato ([asamisato@gmail.com](mailto:asamisato@gmail.com))

9/24

Subject: Re: life…

 

(672) 555-4231

 

 

…

From: Korra ([avatarkorra@yahoo.com](mailto:avatarkorra@yahoo.com))

To: Asami Sato ([asamisato@gmail.com](mailto:asamisato@gmail.com))

9/25

Subject: Re: life…

 

…sooo???? how’d it go????

 

 

…

To: Korra ([avatarkorra@yahoo.com](mailto:avatarkorra@yahoo.com))

From: Asami Sato ([asamisato@gmail.com](mailto:asamisato@gmail.com))

9/25

Subject: Re: life…

 

Korra,

I officially owe you from now until eternity. I will forever kiss your feet in gratitude. I spoke with your dad about the contract and worked out all of the details. He addressed all of my concerns about this being a charitable offer, so I don’t feel guilty accepting it. I’m flying down tomorrow to sign the papers and see what the landscape is like. It will be cheaper to build the factories and produce the products there rather than trying to ship everything already built.

Your dad also mentioned that you’re playing for the U-18 national team this weekend. Did you just forget to mention that? The Avatar Korra I know is not one for modesty.

Thank you again!!!

Asami

P.S. As a note for the future, if you give someone a phone number about a business arrangement, you should probably give them their office number, not a cell phone number.

P.P.S. I’ve attached a design for a snowmobile. What do you think?

 

 

…

From: Korra ([avatarkorra@yahoo.com](mailto:avatarkorra@yahoo.com))

To: Asami Sato ([asamisato@gmail.com](mailto:asamisato@gmail.com))

9/26

Subject: new email

 

Asami,

Our life email thread got to be too ridiculous, so I’m starting a new one.

I’m so happy for you! I only require a $50,000 salary for the first year (plus benefits, of course) and a 10% raise every year after that. My help is always valuable, but never cheap. Totally just kidding. I’m just so relieved you won’t lose your company. No offense, but I think you’d be bad at just being a wife.

Yes. I am playing with the U-18 national team. I’m actually going to be starting at center-mid. How crazy is that? I get to miss two days of school to fly out to the Earth Kingdom for the game. I’m so freaking nervous. That’s why I didn’t mention it.

Korra

P.S. I probably should have known that.

P.P.S. You’re amazing. I can’t believe you designed that!!!! It’s so cool!!! I want one!

 

 

…

The next few months passed in a haze of school, soccer, and college applications. Even though I’d verballed with BSSU, I still had to apply elsewhere in case something went wrong with my soccer scholarship or if I didn’t qualify academically. That was unlikely because I met the minimum requirements for both GPA and SAT/ACT scores. I scored nowhere near as high as Asami probably did, but I held my own.

I applied for early decision to BSSU, so I received my acceptance in December. As soon as school resumed after winter break in January, I had my signing ceremony where I officially committed to BSSU by signing the full scholarship they’d awarded me. I ducked out of English class around 11 for the ceremony and made my way to the library. I figured I would sign the scholarship, shake the hand of the coach, and return to class.

When I entered the library, however, my plans were upended when I was met with applause. Nearly everyone I cared about showed up! I almost fell over in surprise and then I really did fall over when I was tackled by Meelo, Ikki, Jinora, and Bolin.

“Hey! Don’t hurt my star recruit!” called Coach Beifong. Toph Beifong was the grandmother of Opal. She was tough, but a brilliant coach who demanded the most of her players both on the field and off. Katara who know Coach Beifong personally told me that was the style of coaching I needed. She was also blind, but had an uncanny ability to always know what was going on around her.

Speaking of Katara, she hurried into the room and hugged Coach Beifong fiercely. Wow. I doubted I would ever have that level of familiarity with my new coach. Based on the Coach’s face as she tried to fight off the hug, Toph was surprised that even Katara felt comfortable enough to try to hug her.

I turned my attention to the kids who had started wrestling on top of me. “Okay guys, break it up. Bolin, you should know better.” He was the one who had started it.

“He should, but he never does,” laughed a familiar voice from across the room.

“Asami?” I asked, looking up in suprirse. “You came?

“Of course.” She crossed the room gracefully, despite her high heels and business suit, and helped me to me feet. It was then that Asami hugged me for the first time. “You came to mine two years ago.”

I’d almost forgotten about that. Asami had gotten a scholarship for track to ZU, but after her father was arrested, she’d had to give it up. Fortunately she had her academic scholarship to fall back on. It was hard to focus on that right now because Asami was hugging me. Asami Sato hugged me. Spirits, it was nice!

I closed my eyes to enjoy the moment until I heard, “Did we miss it?”

My eyes flew open and I jerked away from Asami. “Mom?” My eyes fell on the person standing next to her. “Dad?” I sprinted to the doorway and hugged them tightly. It had been almost four years since I’d seen them in person. Needless to say, there were quite a few tears after that.

I was starting to really break down. It was such an overwhelming moment. Fortunately, Tenzin and Pema came over just then and pulled me aside. They’d gotten to know me well enough over the past few years to know how to get me to calm down. “Deep breaths,” Tenzin said. “Remember your meditation training.”

Meditation sucked, but I had to admit that it had helped immensely with getting me to live in the present and focus on future consequences to my actions. I followed Tenzin’s instructions and took comfort in Pema’s soothing hand on my back. “Okay.” I said finally. “I’m good now.”

Pema kissed my head and they led me back to my friends and family. I signed the scholarship and had a few pictures taken. Everyone dispersed after that. The little kids and Bolin had to get back to school/class, Tenzin back to his job, my dad to a meeting with President Raiko, the president of Republic City, and Pema and my mom to get supplies for the party they were throwing me that night.

Asami, however, lingered. “I can’t make it to the party tonight, but I want you to know that I’m really proud of you.”

My heart rate sped up and I could feel my face growing red. I reached up to adjust the neckline of my sweatshirt. Why was it suddenly so hot in here? “Th-thanks,” I managed to stammer.

She opened her mouth to say something else, but seemed to change her mind and pulled me into another hug instead, our second hug. Asami lacked the softness of many women, but her firmness spoke of an unassuming strength. I could feel the curve of her breast pressing into my chest and strands of her long, beautiful hair against my lips. God, she smelled good, like sunshine and moonlight and jasmine. I could stay here forever. With that thought, I could feel myself heating up. People often told me I was really warm, but now I could actually feel myself radiating heat. Asami held me for just a shade longer than was socially appropriate for friends at a scholarship signing. I didn’t know what to do. This was seriously the best day of my life. I couldn’t believe everyone cared this much about me, especially Asami. I started to choke up again when she kissed my cheek and let me go.

“You’re a really good hugger.” She blushed and tucked her hair behind her ear, never making eye contact. She did, however, wipe the lipstick off my face, so I knew she was at least looking at me. “Bye, Korra.”

Asami turned on her heel and left without another word, the sound of her heels clacking on the vinyl floor and her scent lingering on my clothes. I stood there stunned. What had just happened? Eventually, I shrugged and headed back to class.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I tried really hard to get this posted this morning, but I ran out of time. Still taking ideas for what to put in the epilogue that will follow the "present day" timeline. Thanks for reading and commenting!


	9. Chapter 9

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Present Day: Korra panics about what she'll do if Asami isn't in love with her.

**Present Day**

“What do I do if Asami doesn’t love me?” Korra repeated. “Oh, God. What if she doesn’t love me?” Korra started to hyperventilate and dropped to her knees on the damp sand to try to control her breathing. Jinora’s voice and Naga’s whimpers seemed far away. Korra remembered all of her meditation training with Tenzin and focused on the gritty texture of the sand against her skin, broken shells digging into her shins.

“Deep, slow breaths,” she finally heard Jinora say. “C’mon Korra. You’re okay. Just take deep, slow breaths.”

Korra inhaled sharply, a broken, jagged breath that would no doubt make Tenzin shake his head in disappointment, but she held it in and released it with more control. The warm summer night came back into focus around her and she opened her eyes to see Jinora’s face just inches from her own. “Gah!” she exclaimed, falling backward. Naga jumped on her started to lick all of her exposed skin.

Jinora rolled her eyes at the old dog’s antics and helped her foster sister to her feet. “That hasn’t happened in awhile,” she said mildly.  

“No,” Korra agreed. She made a disgusted face and tried to wipe the dog spit and sand off of her. It was futile, so she stumbled out into the bay and sluiced water over her arms and face. Though it was summer, the water still had enough bite to shock the breath from her lungs. It served to ground her and chase away all of the unpleasant memories Jinora’s words had brought up. When she felt less disgusting and more herself, she waded back to shore. Thankfully Jinora had a tight grasp on Naga’s collar, so she was able to prevent the dog from tackling Korra. “I’m okay now.”

“Are you sure?” Jinora asked, concerned. “You still haven’t dealt with your fears. If we start talking about them, will you panic again?”

Korra took a deep breath, this time one that would make Tenzin proud. “I’m sure. I need to know. What will I do if Asami doesn’t love me?”

“You’ll move on,” Jinora said simply. She let go of Naga’s collar to allow her the reign of the leash and made to start walking again.

Korra looked at her askance and snorted. “Just like that?” she asked, her voice wry.

“Of course not.” Jinora laughed. Korra had given her the reaction she was hoping for. “You’ll hurt for a long time. It will ache and ache and ache so much that sometimes you’ll wish you would die. Then one day you’ll wake up and realize it hurts a little less, and the next day will be better still. Eventually the pain will be dull enough that you will almost forget about it. Once you reach that point, you might meet someone new.”

“That’s not very encouraging.” Korra replied. It was painful for her to even imagine that scenario.

Jinora shrugged. “It’s better for you to have the truth. To be honest, it’s better for it to end than for you to live in this uncertainty. You’ve been hoping for years to be with her, even if you didn’t realize it. You couldn’t move on. Now that you’ve acknowledged your feelings, you have the chance for happiness, even if Asami doesn’t feel the same way about you as you do about her.”

Korra gazed up at the stars that she’d so often sought comfort in and thought about it. “I can’t imagine ever meeting someone new,” she admitted.

“Well, duh,” Jinora said, sounding every bit the fifteen year old she was. “You’re still head over heels in love with her. There is no one else right now. You’re not in the moving on stage yet.”

 “I guess that makes sense. Do you think Asami and I would still be friends even if I moved on?” That was one of Korra’s biggest fears. Her heart clenched at the thought of losing their daily emails and her main source of comfort, advice, and friendship.

 Jinora hesitated and Korra could feel herself start to panic again, but a few deep breaths helped to calm her. “Yes?” Jinora said uncertainly. “I think you’ll always be friends, but if you’re really going to move on, you’ll need to have some space from her. Talking to her every day will probably mean you’ll be hung up on her forever.”

Korra let out a shuddering breath, fear consuming her for the moment. “I don’t think I could stop talking to her. What am I going to do?”

Jinora let out a laugh and threw her arm around Korra’s waist for a sideways hug. “You’re going to stop freaking out. You don’t know how Asami feels. You don’t know what’s going to happen. Besides, don’t you think we should talk about what’s really scaring you?”

Korra’s mind raced, trying to figure out what that could be. She came up empty. “Uh…?”

“You might be worried Asami doesn’t feel the same way, but really, the result of that isn’t so different from what you’re currently living through. You’re mostly afraid of what it means if she does love you.”

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Now you more or less know my thoughts about love and moving on, which is weird. Also, I've recently acquired Tumblr, which I am only half-heartedly attempting to figure out. I can't draw, so if I post much, it will probably be about my students' crazy antics (who knew Master of Divinity students could be so ridiculous?). I don't anticipate that really interesting many people, but feel free to follow me if you want? Feel free to contact me there as well. The link is: http://balagantamim.tumblr.com/


	10. Chapter 10

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Four Years Ago: Korra goes to college!

**Four Years Ago**

I finished out my high school career without much fanfare. I signed with BSSU, played soccer, received decent marks, and of course kept emailing Asami. Incidentally, her company had begun to recover once she contracted with the Southern Water Tribe.

I spent the summer hanging with my friends and training on my own. People tried to help—Ikki and Meelo played soccer with me, Bolin did workouts with me once or twice, and Asami offered to run with me, though she always ended up cancelling because she was so busy—but for obvious reasons I was better off on my own. Jinora and Tenzin did meditate with me every morning, which was terribly boring, but I supposed it would come in handy when I was a nervous wreck before games.

I had to move into my dorm mid-July to train with the BSSU women’s team. Like the whole world apart from Republic City High, they played soccer in the fall and we had a few friendly matches scheduled before the school year started. Kuvira, another girl on the team, and I also would be traveling with the U-19 women’s national team to play in the world championships, albeit on different teams.

The beginning of July came and I still had none of the belongings I needed for school. Pema had been reminding me for weeks that we needed to go shopping, but I kept putting it off. If I didn’t think about leaving, I wouldn’t have to. That was my thought process until I realized I only had a week before I had to be at school.

 

 

…

From: Korra ([avatarkorra@yahoo.com](mailto:avatarkorra@yahoo.com))

To: Asami Sato ([asamisato@gmail.com](mailto:asamisato@gmail.com))

7/5

Subject: ARRGGGGGHHHH!!!!!

 

Asami!!!!!!!

I leave for school in a week! Pema made me go shopping today and now I have so much stuff! I have bedding, hygiene supplies, a hamper, pillows, a laptop, and a bunch of new clothes! She even bought me a small TV and DVD player. This is more stuff than I’ve had in my whole life! It’s so strange! I don’t like this! I’m going to miss having a friends and family. I loved having little brothers and sisters and friends. I mean, I guess I’ll make new friends, but that’s scary to think about too. Were you nervous before you left for ZU?

I’m glad your company has been doing so well. My dad loves the new snowmobile you sent him. He sent me a picture of it and it looks so awesome! I’m going to ride it when I go to visit over winter break.

How are things with Iroh? Do you still think you’re going to marry him? I know he’s deployed a lot, but have you ever considered moving in with him?

Smile!

Korra

 

 

…

To: Korra ([avatarkorra@yahoo.com](mailto:avatarkorra@yahoo.com))

From: Asami Sato ([asamisato@gmail.com](mailto:asamisato@gmail.com))

7/7

Subject: calm down!

 

Korra,

It’s going to be okay. I know going to college is scary (I was terrified), but it will be okay. Truthfully, it might suck for a while, but you’ll get used to it fairly quickly. It helps that you’ve moved around a lot. I can imagine how hard it will be to leave Pema and Tenzin’s, but you should stop referring to everything in the past tense. You will still have little brothers and sisters. You won’t stop being their older sister just because you’re going to college. Pema and Tenzin talked to you about this. Remember? They still want you to be a part of their family. If you need proof, Pema bought you a TV. There was no obligation for her to do that. She did it because she loves you. Accept it, kid.

That’s great! I’m so glad your dad loves the snowmobile. I didn’t really know what I was doing, so I’m relieved it turned out well. Honestly, I’ve never seen more than a couple of inches of snow, so I wasn’t sure about the mechanics of a vehicle that drives on snow.

Iroh…yes. I still think I’m going to marry him. We’ve only talked about it in abstract terms, but we both have the intention of marrying one another in the future. We’d like to wait until my company is more stable and until Iroh has been promoted to general. I’m guessing it will be another few years. We actually haven’t talked about moving in together. The Fire Nation military is still pretty conservative, and they wouldn’t look kindly upon one of their officers living with his girlfriend.

When do you leave? Let me know because I want to see you before you head out.

Regards,

Asami

 

 

…

Asami and I agreed to meet up the night before I was going to leave.  Pema had made a fancy meal, and though she said I could invite friends, I decided it was better to have one last meal as a family. Afterwards, the kids (apart from Rohan who was still too little) and I played a game outside until it was time for them to go to bed. Once they were asleep, I heaved a sigh of relief; Jinora, Ikki, and Meelo were wonderful, but they were exhausting. I reached into the back pocket of my cargo shorts and pulled out my flip phone to text Asami. Before I could even close the phone, it buzzed, alerting me to her response. She’d be over in just a few minutes.

I plodded to the kitchen, relishing the smooth wood floors on my bare feet, to see if Pema needed any help cleaning up. Instead, she handed me a brownie from the pan she’d made earlier and told me I didn’t need to work on my last night. It was weird. Suddenly I felt like a guest in the home I’d worked so hard to make my own. The brownie was perfectly done—not too cakelike, but not runny either. It was the ideal balance between the two that makes the brownie melt in your mouth. Pema had even sprinkled in peanut butter chips because she knew it was my favorite. It got stuck in my throat as I tried not to cry.  Pema caught my distress even though I tried to hide it and pulled me in for a hug. For the first time I realized I was taller than her. I’d never noticed before then. I took deep breaths, trying to control myself, breathing in her familiar scent: green tea, honey, with an ever-present hint of curry. I snorted as I thought about what a weird combination that was and that it should be unpleasant. Unfortunately, I still had brownie in my mouth and accidentally sprayed it in Pema’s hair and down the back of her robes. 

Pema pulled back and stared at me, too surprised to know how to respond. Then we both started laughing and everything was okay again. It was good. I needed to be in a good state of mind if I was going to talk to Asami. As Pema left to get cleaned up, my phone buzzed again, letting me know Asami had arrived.

I hurried out of the house to Asami’s convertible and vaulted over the door into the passenger’s seat. “Where are we going?” I asked, the taste of brownie still lingering in my mouth.

Asami surprised me by laughing…hard. I didn’t know what was going on until she reached over and wiped the corner of my mouth with her thumb, and then my cheek, and oddly, my forehead. “Eat something good?” she asked through her laughter.

Only then did I realize that it was not only Pema who needed to clean up after my brownie-spewing incident. “I don’t want to talk about it,” I muttered. My face burned from embarrassment, and the searing trail left by Asami’s touch hadn’t helped matters. I thought I left my awkwardness behind during my sophomore year, but apparently I was destined to make a fool of myself in front of Asami forever.

“Okay, okay. I’ll give you a break this time,” she relented.  “I actually wasn’t planning on going anywhere until you hopped in my car. I thought we could walk down to the bay and maybe sit in the gazebo for a while. Would you rather we go somewhere? We could always go back to my house.”

Huh. Maybe we should have clarified plans earlier. It would have stopped me from looking like a moron yet again. “Oh. No, that’s okay. I guess I’d rather stay here, anyway, since it’s my last night.”

“Makes sense,” Asami said, cocking her head thoughtfully as she climbed out of the car. “Do you want to talk about that?”

We headed down to the water, stumbling on loose rocks. “I don’t know what to say that I haven’t said already.” Asami didn’t say anything, so I figured she was giving me the chance to try to come up with something. “Is it okay if I still email you?” I blurted out before I could stop myself. I’d improved on the impulsivity with Katara’s help, but sometimes my mouth still got ahead of my brain.

The wind had picked up and was whipping Asami’s hair in both our faces. She reached back and pulled her hair up with the hair tie she always kept around her wrist. “Of course! Were you really worried about that?”

I was so lost in watching her beautiful, glossy locks that had just the right amount of wave and miraculously no frizz, that I wasn’t even listening for her response. “Uh…what?”

“Were you really worried we would stop emailing just because you were going to college?” she repeated, patiently.

“I don’t know. We’d never talked about it, so I wasn’t sure. I figured maybe you were just waiting until I graduated to tell me you were through with me.” All of my fears were tumbling out of my mouth. I had to turn away from Asami under the pretense of looking out over the water in order to hide my tears. I didn’t even know why I was crying; I was probably just feeling out of sorts because of all the coming changes.

Asami wasn’t fooled, however, and placed a comforting hand on my upper back. “Korra, you should know better than that. I’ve told you you’re one of my closest friends. I don’t ever want to be ‘through’ with you.”

She was so free with physical affection. I rarely intentionally touched my peers; it always felt so uncomfortable. It wasn’t that I didn’t like touching Asami, but that I simply didn’t know how to handle it.

“Yeah?” I wiped at my eyes with the neckline of my blue tank top. BSSU’s colors were green and gold; not wearing blue all of the time would be weird. That was another change I’d have to get used to.

“Yeah. I don’t know what I would do without our daily emails. You give me something to look forward to, especially on bad days. I like having someone to bounce ideas off of and talk about the hard things with. And I really like having someone to joke around with. Everyone at work sees me as a CEO, but you treat me like a normal person. I love that.”

“Me too,” I managed to choke out. I didn’t even know if that made sense, but God, I needed Asami to know that she meant so much to me.

“Really?” Asami asked with her eyebrows raised in mock surprise. “People see you as a CEO? Are you hiding a secret company from me?”

I laughed, which I figured was Asami’s goal. “Shut up, Sato.”

“Okay, _Avatar_.”

We stood in silence for a while, enjoying the beautiful summer evening. The air was warm, but blessedly not humid. We were on the side of the island facing Republic City, so there were no stars visible. Instead, the lights of the city lit up the skyline, the Future Industries tower most prominent.

“I need you to make me a promise,” Asami said eventually, her hand still on my back.

“Okay.”

“Promise me if you ever get lonely or need to talk about something, you’ll call me.”

I thought about it. It was a lot to ask. Asami knew I hated asking for anything from people. Still, it was Asami asking; I would do anything for her. “I promise.”

 

 

…

The next month was a blur of soccer, travel, and new faces. Most days I woke up at 6 for morning training, ate breakfast, went back to sleep, ate a late lunch, went to afternoon training, ate dinner, and hung out with the girls on my team. One week was spent in the Fire Nation playing in the world championships. Republic City got creamed. We didn’t even make it to the final. Kuvira, however, was on the Earth Kingdom team that won. She didn’t let it go for months, which was irritating, if justified.

The best part of that month was knowing I had people back home I could talk to. I Skyped with Pema and Tenzin once a week and talked on the phone with my parents every so often. Opal, Bolin, and Mako texted me periodically, and Asami was as consistent as ever in responding to my emails. I could always count on her to make me laugh when I was feeling homesick or exhausted, which was pretty much constantly. Soccer was great and the girls on the team were nice and welcoming, but nothing was familiar. It was little things like the water tasting different, but it was also big things like being the only Water Tribe girl around. Even in Republic City there had been other Water Tribe people. My hair was different; my skin was different; even my undergarments were different. It was unnerving. Having Asami’s emails was a daily dose of familiarity, which I tried to make sure she knew I appreciated.

Before I knew it, classes started. I thought about following in Asami’s footsteps in majoring in business (because let’s face it, I was never going to be a mechanical engineer), but it didn’t feel right. I decided on athletic training; that way, I’d always be around sporting events, and it would hopefully help me in my own soccer career.

My fall schedule wasn’t too grueling. I took a lot of GenEds. It turned out college wasn’t as bad as everyone made it sound, provided you stayed on top of your work. The challenging thing was fitting in all of my soccer games and practices and still finding time to study.

 

 

…

From: Korra ([avatarkorra@yahoo.com](mailto:avatarkorra@yahoo.com))

To: Asami Sato ([asamisato@gmail.com](mailto:asamisato@gmail.com))

10/25

Subject: tired, tired, tired

 

Asami,

College is so tiring! I’m pretty sure I made myself the pariah of my English class by saying college work was a joke. I mean, I’m right. It’s easier than high school. Still, I shouldn’t have said it because now everyone hates me. Oh well, at least my classes are going well and my soccer team doesn’t hate me.

I have to volunteer for twenty hours this semester for my government class. My professor sent us a list of options. I’m volunteering for a political activism committee that’s working to stop climate change by lobbying for more environmental enforcements. I told Tenzin about the group because I thought he’d be excited, but he wasn’t too thrilled. I’m not really sure why. The Red Lotus seems like a quality organization to me.

I heard about your award, you awesome CEO, you. In my Government and Politics class, we’ve discussed Future Industries a few times. It’s really weird hearing people talk about how awesome you are. I’m pretty sure half of the guys in the class are in love with you. Maybe a few girls, too. Anyway, everyone is really impressed with how transparent you’ve made Future Industries. I’m really proud of you, too!

Peace!

Korra

 

 

…

To: Korra ([avatarkorra@yahoo.com](mailto:avatarkorra@yahoo.com))

From: Asami Sato ([asamisato@gmail.com](mailto:asamisato@gmail.com))

10/26

Subject: oh gosh

 

Korra,

I laughed for about five minutes when I read about how you made your English class hate you. That’s so great. I’m glad everything else is going pretty well, despite their hatred of you and your exhaustion.   
I don’t know anything about the Red Lotus, but if Tenzin doesn’t like them, there must be a reason. Be careful. I’m working on getting Future Industries to be greener, but I don’t really know enough about it. Fortunately, I can hire experts, which is what I’ve done.

Oh my gosh. I’m so embarrassed! I’m glad people like what I’ve done with Future Industries, but it’s so weird to know that your class talks about me! And thanks, Korra. It means a lot that you’re proud of me. J

So long,

Asami

 

 

…

The best part of my semester was getting to spend my fall break in Zaofu with Opal’s family. Her brothers were hilarious, even the weird artsy one I’m pretty sure didn’t know how to smile. Kuvira came with me; it turned out she was the adopted daughter of Opal’s parents and was engaged to her oldest brother. It sounded weird, but somehow it actually wasn’t.

Our train arrived in Zaofu in the midafternoon. Imagine my surprise when we were greeted at the train station not just by Opal, but also by Bolin, Mako, and Asami. I dropped my bag and tackled them in a giant group hug. “Guys!!!!” I shouted.

“Were you surprised? We were trying to surprise you. Did it work?” Bolin asked, excitedly.

“Completely!” I turned to Asami who was dressed casually for once in jeans and a ZU sweatshirt. She looked gorgeous. “I can’t believe you kept this from me!”

She shrugged. “It wouldn’t have been a surprise if I’d told you, would it?”

I rolled my eyes and Kuvira came up behind me, lugging my bag along with her own. “Hey loser, thanks for making me carry your stuff.”

She threw my bag down at my feet and slung her arm around my shoulders. “Hey, Opal. Hey, Bolin. Hey, other people I don’t know.”

“This is Mako and Asami,” I chimed in. “Guys, this is Kuvira.”

Mako looked between us, his eyes narrowing suspiciously. “Is she your girlfriend?”

Kuvira and I looked at each other, shocked, and sprang apart immediately. “No!” we exclaimed in unison.

“I’m engaged!” Kuvira clarified and seemed to reconsider her words. “To a man. I’m engaged to Bataar Jr.”

“And I’m—“ I stopped, not sure where I was going with that sentence. I didn’t really know what to say. I didn’t like anyone. I hadn’t really ever liked anyone. If someone forced me to pick someone to date, Kuvira would have been near the top of my list…not that I liked her like that or anything. She was just cool, and funny, and had awesome fern-green eyes. That wasn’t something I particularly wanted to talk about, though. “I’m not dating anyone,” I finished lamely.

Bolin and Opal had dissolved into laughter. Mako just looked embarrassed, but Asami looked at me and frowned, though I never found out why.

The rest of break was pretty much the same as the greeting—fun, funny, and embarrassing. Basically, it was fairly standard for hanging out with this group of friends. The only weird moment was when Asami cornered me and asked if there was anything I wanted to talk about. I said there wasn’t and was genuinely confused by the question. In corresponding emails over the next few weeks, Asami asked what I thought of Kuvira, but I didn’t think much about it.

 

 

…

As the semester wore on, the more suspicious I became of the Red Lotus. Now that I was paying attention, the organization seemed rather sinister.  They might truly believe in combating climate change, but there were a lot of closed-door meetings where I wasn’t sure what they discussed. In a move that would haunt me forever, I decided to sneak into one of the meetings and expose whatever dirty secrets they held. I’d be a whistleblower, a term I learned about in my government class. Whistleblowers had protections, so I couldn’t be sued or anything.

I decided to film their December board meeting; I figured I had completed all of my volunteer hours and received a favorable evaluation, so I had nothing to lose. One of theatre tech workers I’d made friends with in my government class offered to help by loaning me the equipment and showing me how it worked. It was a tiny camera that I’d plant and turn on before the meeting. It would upload the live video to my Cloud account and I’d go back the next day to retrieve the camera.

The plan worked better than I expected; that is to say, everything went according to the plan. Two days before I was scheduled to take the train back to Republic City, I set up the camera and recorded the board meeting. It went until late at night, so I didn’t watch the footage until after I retrieved the equipment the next morning. What I saw was astounding, horrifying. They were plotting to kill the Earth Queen. Today. I checked my watch. I had approximately four hours until they were planning to assassinate her. What the fuck was I supposed to do? I was a freshman in college, for Spirits’ sake!

I whipped out my phone and pulled up Asami’s contact info. Fortunately, she answered. “They’re going to kill her!” I shouted in a panic.

“What?” Asami didn’t sound nearly as worked up about this as I needed her to.

“They’re going to kill her!” I threw the phone aside and pulled on a sports bra and t-shirt. I could barely hear Asami’s response.

“Okay, Korra. You need to calm down and tell me what’s going on.”

I took a deep breath. Okay, that helped some. “I filmed the Red Lotus board meeting. They’re going to kill the Earth Queen in—“ I checked my watch again, “three hours and forty five minutes.” There was a stunned silence on the other end of the line as I slipped into my Vans. “Hello?”

“Yeah.”

“I don’t know what to do,” I told her, starting to feel panicky again. “I don’t know what to do. Who do you call when a world leader’s life is threatened?”

“I—“ Asami cut herself off. Clearly she didn’t know what to do either, but she must have known she had to help, so she said, “I’ll make some calls. You go to the highest-ranking person you can find and tell them. If you can’t find anyone, go to the city and do whatever you can.”

“Okay. Thanks.”

I hung up and sprinted out the door, but not before emailing the footage to everyone I could think of, including Mako, Tenzin, and several news outlets. Maybe someone would know what to do. The highest-ranking person I could think of was the President of the university, but the odds of him being there on a Saturday morning were slim at best. I decided Campus Security would be my next best bet because they were connected to Ba Sing Se’s police force . Unfortunately, they didn’t believe me, even when I showed them the evidence. I threw my hands up in the air in frustration and stormed out.

I’d have to head to the city and take manners into my own hands. The palace was only an hour walk from campus; maybe I could talk my way in. It turned out emailing the footage to the media was a bad idea. Instead of alerting the authorities, they started calling my cellphone, asking for exclusives on how I knew about the plan and if I was worried about retribution from the Red Lotus. Well, I hadn’t been until they mentioned it.

That was when everything started to fall apart. As soon as I reached the palace, people were shouting that the Earth Queen was dead. My first instinct was to correct people. They obviously hadn’t understood what was going on. She wasn’t dead yet, but she would be soon if we didn’t do something. My second instinct was to listen. Apparently I’d forced the Red Lotus to panic and they’d assassinated the Earth Queen ahead of schedule. I’d caused the death of a fucking royal. Shit. I sat down on the curb and dropped my head into my hands. What would happen now?

About then, I received a call from a hidden number. I answered warily. “Hello?”

“Hello, Korra. This is Zaheer.”

Well, if I’d thought the day couldn’t get worse, I had been proven wrong. Zaheer was the head of the Red Lotus. “Okay?”

“I think you’ll be interested to know that I’m currently on Air Temple Island where I’m getting acquainted with your foster family. Meelo is such a funny kid, isn’t he? And that Jinora? She’s as smart as a whip. No harm will come to them if you deliver yourself to me within twenty four hours.”

He hung up and I sat there alone on the side of the road, devastated. He was holding my family hostage and it was all my fault. What was I going to do? I picked up my phone to call Tenzin, but quickly realized that wasn’t an option. I started to cry; I could always call Tenzin when I needed to know what to do. Instead I called Asami.

“Korra! The Earth Queen is dead! Why did you send out that footage?” Asami started bombarding me with even more guilt and I cried harder. “Korra? What’s happening? Are you okay?”

“He has Tenzin and Pema and the kids.”

“What? Who has Tenzin?” Asami’s voice was hard to hear in the din of the streets wracked by panic and terror.

“Zaheer. The Red Lotus. He’s holding them hostage on Air Temple Island. I have twenty four hours before he kills them.”

“Twenty four hours to do what?”

“Turn myself over.”

There was a long pause that I wasn’t sure how to interpret. Finally, she said, “How quickly can you get to the Ba Sing Se airport?”

I thought about it. From campus it usually took us thirty minutes to drive there, but that included sitting in traffic. I guessed it was about six miles from where I was. “Maybe two hours?” Three miles per hour seemed reasonable on foot. I could run, but that could attract attention and end up taking longer. The bus was out because the city was in an uproar. “Why?”

“I’m going to fly the Future Industries jet there. I’ll be waiting by the time you arrive. Be safe.”

We hung up and I started walking. I made it in two and a half hours. It ended up being farther than six miles, so I had to run the last stretch. “Hey,” I panted, out of breath, as I ran up to Asami’s jet.

“Let’s go,” she said shortly.

Why was she being so terse? Was she mad at me? Why with everything else going on did I care if she was mad at me? I didn’t know what to do to make things better. I’d screwed up and the Earth Queen was dead because of it. Tenzin and his family were in danger because of me.

“What are you going to do?” Asami broke the silence, looking at me out of the corner of her eye. I took a moment to be impressed that she could fly a jet.

“What do you mean?”

“What are you going to do about Tenzin and the others?” she asked like it wasn’t obvious.

I looked at her, confusion all over my face. “I’m going to turn myself over.”

She gaped at me, which seemed dangerous for a pilot, but she probably knew what she was doing. “Then who’s going to save you?”

That was an odd question. I hadn’t even considered it. Would someone rescue me? Would I die? Huh. I felt strangely detached about the matter. “No one.”

“You’re just going to walk willingly to your death?”

“I—I guess? You make me sound like Harry Potter,” I joked, hoping to lighten the mood.

Asami let out a choked sob. “Don’t, Korra. Don’t you dare. Don’t tell me you’re going to die and then joke about it. Don’t tell me you’re okay with sacrificing over something that isn’t even your fault.”

“It kind of is, though.” It really felt like it was my fault.

“No it’s not. You didn’t turn to eco-terrorism. You didn’t assassinate the Earth Queen. You didn’t threaten an innocent family. You just got in the way.”

We flew the rest of the way in silence. When we got off the plane, Asami pulled me into a long hug. “I’m going to make sure someone saves you,” she told me as we pulled apart.

Then I woke up in a hospital two weeks later.

 

 

…

Various people helped me to piece together the events that transpired over my missing two weeks. I’d saved Tenzin and the children. That was the first thing they told me. Then they told me about how Zaheer held me for three days, torturing me. He wanted to see how long I’d been videotaping their meetings and what other secrets I knew. He was concerned that other people in his network had been compromised. I told him I truly didn’t know anything, but he didn’t believe me. He poisoned me and broke my bones. Eventually, a joint coalition of Southern Water Tribe forces led by my father and the Republic City police force led by Chief Beifong banded together to rescue me. Zaheer was now in prison and I’d been unconscious ever since.

“What about Asami?” I asked the nameless nurse, fearfully.

“Who?” He looked confused. “Asami? As in Asami Sato? What does she have to do with this?”

I relaxed then. At least she was safe. I fell back to sleep. When I woke again, Tenzin and Asami were at my bedside. I smiled at them, genuinely glad to see them safe. “Hi.”

They looked at each other and back at me, like they weren’t expecting to see me awake. “Korra!” Asami exclaimed, rushing to grab my hand. It was weird. I kind of felt her touch, but not as much as I thought I should. Maybe it was because I just woke up.

“Korra,” Tenzin said heavily. “I’m so, so sorry for what you have suffered to save my family.”

“I saved you too,” I joked. “Don’t forget that.”

“I won’t. I won’t ever forget that. You paid a heavy price.”

I frowned. What did that mean? I was alive, wasn’t I? I hurt like hell all over, but I’d heal in time. “What price?”

Asami and Tenzin exchanged fearful glances. “You mean you don’t know?” Asami asked, her voice tentative.

“Know what?”

Tenzin looked at Asami and said, “Give us a minute?”

Asami stood up to leave, but saw the terror on my face and sat back down. “I’m staying,” she told Tenzin in a no nonsense tone. “I’m not leaving her.”

Tenzin let out a heavy sigh. “Okay.” He turned to me. “Korra, both of your femurs and six of your ribs are broken. Your spleen was crushed and had to be removed. You also lost one of your kidneys. Apart from the effects of blunt force trauma, you were also poisoned. Korra, you’re currently partially paralyzed. You have dulled feeling in your arms, but the doctors have assured us that will come back quickly. Your legs, however, have no feeling. They’re not confident you’ll ever walk again.”

I looked to Asami for confirmation. This seemed like a bad joke. Maybe she would tell me this was an elaborate prank. However, she nodded in confirmation. I closed my eyes and refused to communicate with anyone for the next few weeks.

Before I knew it, I was released from the hospital. Asami wheeled me to the hospital exit. No matter how much I ignored her, she never left my side. Physical and occupational therapists came to Air Temple Island everyday to help me try to regain movement. Even if my bones were healed, there still wasn’t much I could do. My legs were useless and my fingers had the dexterity of a toddler’s. People whispered about me like I couldn’t hear them. I knew what they said. I knew they were concerned about my mental state. I just didn’t care.

Only Asami still talked to me like I was listening. And half the time I was, though I never let her know it. Mostly I just slept. I could feel my hard-earned muscles atrophying. I could feel everything I’d worked for slipping away. If I wasn’t a soccer player, who was I? If I couldn’t care for myself what kind of life could I have? I didn’t want to be a burden forever. I knew Asami was neglecting her company for me. That couldn’t continue. That’s why, a month into this mess, I decided to return to the Southern Water Tribe to stay with my parents.

“Are you sure?” Asami asked when I told her.

“Yeah.”

“Do you want me to come with you, at least until you’re settled?”

I did. I really did, but I couldn’t ask for that. “No. I won’t be gone that long. I just need to get away for a while.”

Asami nodded in understanding as she brushed my hair. “Okay. I’m here for you if you ever want to talk…or anything.”

My eyes teared up and I couldn’t speak through the lump in my throat, so I just nodded.

“Promise me you’ll keep emailing me,” Asami demanded, her voice suddenly harsh. I knew she was scared. I knew her so well by this point.

Again I nodded.

Asami grew even fiercer. “No, Korra. Promise me aloud. I need to hear you say it.”

“Promise,” I managed to say, hoarsely. I would keep emailing her. There was no doubt about that. Whatever we’d been through, we’d always relied on one another.

I was useless for the rest of the school year, alternating between depressed and angry. Even Naga bore the brunt of my moods sometimes. There were few people that I talked to, but I kept my promise to Asami and even if I only managed a few words, I always emailed at least every couple of days.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hands down the best part of being a PhD student: being able to negotiate with your professors to get a whole week off for fall break instead of just 2 days. This is not relevant to the story, but I felt like sharing. I have nothing else enlightening to say.


	11. Chapter 11

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Present Day: Jinora talks Korra through her fears of what will happen if Asami does love her.

**Present Day**

Korra looked down at the teenager who had latched herself onto her waist. “What do you mean?”

“I mean just that. You’re worried about what will happen if Asami loves you. You’re afraid. You tell me why.” Jinora gazed up at Korra expectantly. They were locked in a staring contest, which Naga apparently found unsettling because she started barking loudly and jumping on the girls. They both laughed and shouted at the dog. 

“Naga! Down!” Korra finally said, sharply, and took the leash back from Jinora. Naga dropped to the ground and lay on her back for a belly rub. Korra rolled her eyes, but complied; after all, the dog had listened. Throughout the years Naga had grown to love the siblings, but Korra was the only one she really listened to. Korra used this time to think about her answer. She was scared. She was terrified that Asami loved her. It was scarier to think that Asami was in love with her than to think she wasn’t. “I’m scared we’ll start dating and it will change things.”

“In what way?”

“In every way, I suppose. We have fun together now. What if we start dating and it’s awkward or we fight all the time like I did with Mako?” 

Jinora looked at Korra like she was crazy. “You fought with Mako because you wanted to be with Asami. Why would dating change the amount of fun you guys have now?”

Korra deflated and buried her face in Naga’s fur. “I don’t know,” she groaned. “I guess it wouldn’t, but what if it’s awkward?” 

“What if it is? Will you love her less?”

Now it was Korra’s turn to look shocked. “Of course not! It’s just—“ she stopped. “I don’t think I can talk to you about this.”

“Because it’s about sex?” Jinora asked bluntly. How could this fifteen-year-old initiate a casual conversation about sex when Korra couldn’t even say the word without blushing? “C’mon, Korra. I’m fifteen, not three. Do you think I don’t know that you’re a virgin and Asami’s been having sex since she dated Mako? Talk. List your concerns.” 

Korra sighed. “Fine. If we start dating, I wouldn’t be ready to have sex with her. One time she told me one reason she didn’t want to break up with Iroh was because she didn’t want to have to—“ 

“Masturbate?” 

Korra stared at Jinora in disbelief, “How do you even—“ 

Jinora cut her off. “Because I’m not an idiot. And because I was raised by Pema who talks to me about things. Continue.” 

“Okay, fine. Yes. That. If she starts dating me, she’ll have to go without sex…or I’ll have to have sex with her and I don’t know what I’m doing! That’s the other problem. She’s probably really good at sex by now and I’ve never had it, so I’m going to suck.” Korra was on a roll. “So she’ll hate me because I won’t have sex or she’ll hate me because we’ll have sex and I’ll be really bad at it.” 

Jinora snickered, but she tried to hide it behind her hand. Korra glared at her. “I’m sorry. I’m sorry. That was just really dramatic. You have all of these concerns that can be solved by talking to her.” 

“I can’t talk to her about sex!” 

“Well, then you’re going to be single for quite a long time. If you want a relationship to work you need to talk about sex. That aside, you’re forgetting Asami knows you’re inexperienced. She’ll understand. If you start dating, she’ll know what to expect. I promise you that even though the sex might not be perfect, it won’t be nearly as stressful or as bad as you’re making it sound.” 

Korra nodded. Jinora was probably right. 

Jinora squinted at Korra as if considering alternative reasons for her fears. “Do you want to kiss her? Do you want to eventually have sex with her even if it’s not right away? 

On some level, Korra had never thought about it before. On another, that had been her desire for as long as she’d known Asami. “Holy God, yes,” she laughed. “So badly. She’s so beautiful, and smart, and funny, and I’ve been saying the same things about her for seven years, but it’s just so true. I mean, have you seen her hair? And her eyes are so green and when she smiles at me it’s like coming home after being away for years and years. And even though she hasn’t been an athlete since high school, she has such a great body. And she’s so tall! It’s kind of weird, but also great. Plus, she gives the best hugs, so I know I’d like it if she held me.”

Jinora blinked at the cascade of compliments. “Okay, wow. So we can nix lack of sexual attraction off the list of worries, at least on your side. Now we just have to see if it goes both ways.” 

Korra felt like a bucket of ice water had been dumped over her head. “That’s my question for you. Do you think Asami loves me?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is my most silly chapter and I kind of love it. Also, thanks for all of the support you guys have given me so far in the story. I really appreciate all of your thoughtful comments. I'm not sure if I've mentioned this before, but if you would like to read ahead in the story, visit FF.net because it's cross-posted there. The fifteenth chapter will be posted there today.


	12. Chapter 12

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Three Years Ago: Korra grapples with hating the world and herself.

**Three Years Ago**

By May, my parents were getting very concerned about me. I rarely spoke or left the house, even though I was able to get around in my wheelchair. Intensive therapy had helped me to regain full use of my hands and arms. Recently I’d been focusing on re-learning how to use my legs. It was hard because I still had only minimal feeling in them.

My main problem, however, was mental. My parents spoke with Tenzin who sent Katara, my old Emotional Support teacher, down to the Southern Water Tribe to try to talk some sense into me. She and Kya met with me for an hour each day for counseling. Some days I shouted at them, but most of the time we sat in stubborn silence. I couldn’t tell them what was going on in my head as they so often requested. There was no point and they might think I was crazy.

The only person I could talk to was Asami. My early emails to her were only a sentence or two because I didn’t have the dexterity in my hands to write more than that. I painstakingly would write out a line about how I was doing okay and would receive back a novel-length email about everything going on in Asami’s life. When I got more movement back, I started writing more. It helped to get my feelings out. I was angry about not being able to play soccer anymore. I hated being helpless. On one particularly bad night, I woke up from a nightmare and emailed Asami; she wouldn’t think I was crazy. I told her about the dreams and how I kept feeling like I was back in the cave where Zaheer tortured me for information I didn’t have. It helped some and I was able to fall back to sleep.

The next morning I woke up to a knock on my door. It was Katara.

“Korra, I got a phone call early this morning from Asami saying you need to talk to me.” The old woman with her stupid hair loopies crossed the room and sat in the chair next to my bed, blocking my access to my wheelchair. She must have done this on purpose to prevent me from escaping.

Damn Asami. I should have known she’d tattle. I fixed Katara with a menacing glare. “I’m fine,” I growled. “Why can’t everyone mind their own damned business?!”

Just then my phone rang. “What?” I demanded without checking to see who was calling.

_“Wow, someone is grumpy first thing in the morning,”_ Asami mused, unfazed by my attempt at a fierce demeanor.

The part of me that cherished our friendship was appalled at how I must have sounded to her, but the part that hated everyone and everything seemed to be running the show this morning. “Screw you. I thought I could trust you and you went and talked to my counselor behind my back. Forget this. I’m done with you.” I started to hang up the phone, but Asami’s voice gave me pause.

_“That’s your prerogative, I suppose.”_ Asami actually sounded sad about that prospect. Huh. _“But I still think you should talk to Katara. Korra, things aren’t going to get better unless you talk about them. Katara can help. I’m happy to listen to you, but I’m not trained in treating depression and post-traumatic stress disorder. Katara is. You can hate me if you choose, even though the thought makes me sick, but please, please talk to her. Okay?”_

I didn’t say anything. I was too busy trying to process what she had said, something that had been happening much slower than I was used to. I heard Asami sigh into the phone. _“Okay, Korra. I’ll go now.”_

“Wait!” I nearly shouted, desperate to stop her. “What do you mean?”

_“I think I was pretty clear. Talk to Katara.”_

Words. I needed to use words. “No. I mean about depression and the other thing.”

_“Post-traumatic stress disorder? I’m pretty sure you’re suffering from it. Iroh talks about it sometimes; lots of soldiers who fight in battles come back with it. It would explain the nightmares and re-experiencing the torture.”_

“I’m not crazy?” My heart lifted. Maybe I really wasn’t. Maybe I could talk about this without getting sent to the loony bin.

Asami paused as if my thought process hadn’t occurred to her. _“No, Korra. Of course not. Please talk to Katara.”_

“Okay,” I agreed.

_“Promise me.”_

I rolled my eyes. She knew me too well. If I promised something to her, I would never dare to break it. “I promise.” I thought back to my earlier words. “I’m not done with you.”

_“What?”_

“I don’t hate you,” I clarified. “I didn’t mean what I said before. I was just angry.”

Asami chuckled. _“I’d say. I’d also venture a guess that you were scared too.”_ There was some commotion on her end of the line. “ _I have to go, Korra. I wish you’d let me come visit.”_

“Soon.” I didn’t really mean it. I couldn’t let her see me like this.

_“Promise?”_

Damn. She really did know me too well. “Mmmm.” My answer was as noncommittal as I could manage.

Asami sighed and I could almost hear her pinching the bridge of her nose, trying for patience. _“Okay, well, email me later. Bye, Korra.”_

“Bye.”

I hung up the phone and looked at Katara who was watching me expectantly. “I guess you heard everything.”

“Asami’s end of the conversation as well.” Katara sounded quite pleased with herself. I guess if I were ancient and had perfect hearing, I’d be pretty proud too. “Now that I know what’s going on inside your head, we can work on it. We can practice some grounding techniques to manage the flashbacks. I’d also really like to have a doctor prescribe an anti-depressant and a sleep aid that will help with the nightmares. I know you have a distaste for medicines that affect your mood, but will you consider taking them if it will speed your recovery?”

“No,” I answered flatly. Zaheer had poisoned me. I refused to ever have drugs like that in my system ever again. “But I will work hard on the exercises and I’ll start meditating again. Do you—do you think if my mind gets better my legs will too?”

Katara sighed and I could see her hesitance in offering me what might be false hope. “I don’t know. Your physical therapists are pretty certain your physical problems are hampered by your mental state. I hope it will help.”

“What am I going to do?” I asked Katara, gazing at her with desperation. I was finally giving voice to some of my deepest fears. “What am I going to do? Am I going to be broken and a burden forever?”

Katara brightened. “Finally!” she exclaimed. “I’ve been waiting for you to ask about this for weeks! I have some ideas…”

 

 

…

That’s how I ended up transferring to the University of the Southern Water Tribe. I spent my summer taking online classes to make up for the spring semester that I’d missed. Technically I hadn’t finished out my fall semester either, but my professors had agreed that extenuating circumstances had prevented me from taking my finals, so they excused me from them. I knocked out Statistics, a general education writing class, Intro to Psychology, a religion class, and a sociology class that summer. I didn’t quite have the 4.0 I did after my first semester, but I figured a 3.8 wasn’t too bad considering most of my days were spent in various types of therapies.

The most humiliating part of my summer was having to go to USWT’s physical campus in order to meet with the Office of Disability Services. I was pretty good at using my wheelchair, but I hated going out in public in it. I could feel everyone staring at me, and sometimes it was impossible for me to go into certain buildings. It sucked. My legs had been getting better slowly, but trying to walk more than a step or two meant I fell on my face. Asami said she’d think about solutions, but I wasn’t holding my breath, so I sucked it up and agreed when my mom offered to drive me.

On the way, my mom tried to make conversation with me. It was hard. After spending almost my whole life away from her, I didn’t really know what to talk to her about. I knew it bothered her that I didn’t talk to her. I could joke around with my dad, but I just didn’t have the same freedom with her, even though she’d been taking care of me for the past eight months. I asked Asami and she told me to make an effort even if it felt uncomfortable, so I did.

“How are you feeling today?” my mom asked.

I thought about giving my patented “I’m fine” answer, but that wouldn’t be trying. “My ribs hurt,” I admitted. “They still ache pretty badly most days. My legs healed well enough and the whole partial paralysis thing helped with the pain there too, but no such luck with my ribs.”

“I’m so sorry, honey.”

I shrugged. I didn’t tell her because I wanted pity. I told her because she asked. “It’s okay. Everything else has been getting better, so I can’t really complain.”

“Are you excited about starting school? You could still live on campus if you want. We could figure out a way to make your therapy work.”

“No!” I said, louder than I meant to. My mom looked taken aback. “Sorry. It’s just…it’s hard enough getting around in a familiar environment. I don’t want to have to deal with a new dorm on top of starting school here. I still wish I could do the whole program online.”

Senna nodded with understanding. “I know you do, Korra, but you know most majors don’t offer their core classes online. You have to be on campus to get a degree in something useful.” I started to make a snide comment about the likelihood of my recovery, but she cut me off. “No. I don’t want to hear that attitude. You’re going to be just fine in life. You just have to believe it.”

We drove in silence for the rest of the trip. Even though it was summer, snow still covered the ground. Warm weather was one thing I really missed about Republic City. That and you could go outside without sunglasses without the glare of the sun off of the snow blinding you. As we approached the school, I could see that it favored its Water Tribe heritage. The buildings were obviously not built out of snow, but they were built to look like it. It was as different as could be from BSSU, but it had a familiar charm to it. I could see myself here.

My mom pulled into the administration office that had plenty of handicap spots in front. I never paid attention to these things before I needed them. She got my wheelchair out of the back of the car and stepped back to allow me to transfer myself. I could tell she was watching anxiously, ready to step in if I needed it. It chafed at my nerves, but I had taken a number of spills, so I understood her concern. We made our way into the building, up the wheelchair ramp that looked like it was made of ice. I could just imagine Asami’s face if she saw it. She would marvel at the architecture.

Inside, a woman greeted me warmly. “Hi, can I help you?”

It was actually a little disconcerting that she was addressing me and not my mom. Recently I found that people deferred to whomever I was with, presumably because they assumed I was incapable of talking for myself. “Uh…I’m Korra. I have a meeting with the Office of Disability Services in a few minutes.”

“Oh, sure.” The woman pointed to her left. “It’s right through those doors.”

“Thanks.”

Within an hour, we had everything sorted out. I would be excused from class if I ever needed an emergency therapy session or if my pain was too much for me to manage. Likewise, to compensate for the PTSD, I’d be given extra time on assignments as long as I asked for it in advance. I didn’t anticipate needing it, but I was glad to have it just the same.

The last thing to figure out was my class schedule. Most of the buildings were accessible, but there were a few that weren’t. The schedule they had prepared for me was for an athletic training major. Shoot. “I’m really sorry,” I began, “But is there any way I can change my major? I can’t be an athletic trainer anymore. Things are different now.”

The woman looked at me with compassion. “Not everything has to be.”

I shook my head. “No. It is different and pretending otherwise is no good. I wanted to be an athletic trainer so I could identify and treat my own minor injuries when I was a professional soccer player. I can’t do that anymore, and being around sports every day will just bring up bad memories.”

“If you’re sure,” the woman said doubtfully. She obviously wasn’t convinced. Whatever. “What do you want to major in?”

I hesitated. “I was thinking social work and criminal justice, maybe.” Asami and I had discussed it via email. I’d been thinking about all of the stories Mako told me about people who committed terrible crimes out of desperation. I wanted to prevent that from happening. I wanted to keep people from ruining their lives and the lives of others. Asami suggested I major in social work and minor in criminal justice. She wasn’t positive my dream career existed, but she said if it did, that combination would probably be best. Maybe Asami wasn’t an authority on this matter, but I trusted her and I figured I could talk to my advisor about it later.

“A double major?” The woman’s eyebrows rose. “That might be tricky. Are you sure?”

“Positive.”

With her help, I was signed up for classes that I could actually get to. To make the day even better, when I got home, there was a package from Asami waiting for me.

_“Hope this helps_.” The note read.

The package was long and rectangular. I had no idea what it could be, but I reached down and pulled it onto my lap. I could lift it without straining, so it wasn’t heavy. Weird. I pulled my pocket knife out of the backpack slung across the back of my wheelchair and cut open the box. It was a pair of forearm crutches. A silly grin spread across my face. Asami had promised me a solution to my wheelchair and had come through for me. Forearm crutches wouldn’t have been possible a few months ago, but now that my legs were working better, I should be able to get around for at least short periods of time. This was perfect! I quickly skimmed the directions, put them together, and rushed to my room to email Asami.

 

 

 

…

From: Korra ([avatarkorra@yahoo.com](mailto:avatarkorra@yahoo.com))

To: Asami Sato ([asamisato@gmail.com](mailto:asamisato@gmail.com))

8/15

Subject: THANK YOU!!!!!!

 

Asami!

I just got the crutches. They’re perfect! Thank you so much! I was dreading having to go to school in my wheelchair and now I won’t have to! You’re the best person in the world! Thank you so much for sticking by me even though I’ve sucked the past few months.  I think things will start getting better soon.

I’m going to go practice!

Korra

 

 

 

…

As soon as I pressed _send_ , I heard frantic shouting. “Korra! Korra! Answer me, please!”

Shoot. It was my mom. She must have found my empty wheelchair. I hadn’t thought about that. “I’m in my room!” I called, but stood up and made my way as fast as I could on my new crutches to the living room. “Sorry!”

We nearly collided in the hallway. When she saw me standing up, my mom’s eyes filled with tears and she pulled me in for a hug. It was awkward because I couldn’t hug her back without falling over, so I nuzzled my face into her neck. “Asami sent me crutches,” I explained.

Senna shook her head and laughed through her tears. “That girl is something else. She’s so great at what she does.”

I nodded in agreement. “She’s the best CEO and mechanical engineer in the world.”

“That’s not what I meant.” Senna pulled back and looked at me, her brow furrowed in confusion. “I meant that she’s wonderful at taking care of people, especially you. She would have given up everything to come stay with you if you would have let her.”

I may have had an inkling that that was what Asami was planning, but I’d never had it confirmed. “I know, but I couldn’t have let her do that. I couldn’t have been a burden to her any longer, especially since I would have driven her away. This is better for everyone.”

My mom didn’t look convinced.

 

 

 

….

A week later, my mom dropped me off at orientation. She made me promise to call her if I got tired so she could bring me my wheelchair. I’d gotten pretty good at using the crutches, but if I had to walk long distances, I tended to tire. My legs would stop cooperating and my arms would start shaking from trying to compensate. Hopefully that wouldn’t be too much of an issue.

I made my way into the auditorium and took an aisle seat near the back, so I wouldn’t have to fight the crowds and I could store my crutches in the aisle. It was a great plan until the room started to fill up with incoming students and one of the men in charge of the event started telling people in the aisle seats to move in.

“Scoot in toward the middle,” he commanded.

“I can’t,” I muttered. My face grew hot. I just wanted to disappear. Why was this happening? Why couldn’t people crawl over the people in the aisle seats like every other orientation ever? Why did they have to be so organized?

“Excuse me?” the man asked, indignant. “I asked you to move in. Please comply.”

I took a deep breath, trying for calm, and gestured to the crutches I was still holding so they’d be out of the way. “I can’t,” I repeated.

“Oh,” he said. “Oh! I’m sorry.”

He left, but my embarrassment remained. Still, I reminded myself, it was better than being in my wheelchair. At least I could sort of blend in with my crutches, unreasonable requests from event coordinators aside.

The rest of the morning passed without incident. The speaker was boring, but that’s to be expected from someone trying to inspire a bunch of transfer students, most of whom have heard the spiel before. Lunch was stressful because they provided us boxed lunches. I made it through the line okay, but had a moment of panic about what to do with the lunch because I couldn’t carry it. Reason set in and I quickly stuck it in my backpack before anyone could notice my hesitation. I ate with a group of people who talked about the basics: name, major, interests, etc. I chimed in when necessary, but for the most part ate in silence and tried to ignore their curious looks at my crutches.

Disaster struck at the end of the day. I was waiting outside for my mom to come pick me up when a girl came up to me. “So, CP, huh?” She was short and skinny, rare for a Southern Water Tribe girl, and she wore her dark hair in a short bob that was partially covered by a black beanie. Her traditional blue parka was unzipped and I could see a baggy green and blue flannel shirt that flowed over her black skinny jeans. Her look was completed with a pair of gray Chucks. Huh. It was kind of hipster for my jock taste, but it worked for her.

I was so busy analyzing her look that it took me a minute to realize she had spoken some sort of nonsense. “What?”

“CP, you know, Cerebral Palsy? It must make starting school tough.”

I gaped at her, too astonished to know what to do. Finally, I managed to say, “I—no. I don’t have CP.” Thankfully my mom pulled up then and I climbed into the car and we drove away. I watched the girl in the side mirror until we turned out of the school. Who was she? What gave her the right to talk to me about my disability? What made her assume CP? Why couldn’t people just leave me alone? I fumed the whole way home, completely ignoring my mom’s attempts to ask me how orientation went.

When we pulled into the driveway, I got out of the car and made for the cliffs behind the house. I sat near the edge and pulled out my phone to email Asami (I’d finally gotten a smartphone).

 

 

…

From: Korra ([avatarkorra@yahoo.com](mailto:avatarkorra@yahoo.com))

To: Asami Sato ([asamisato@gmail.com](mailto:asamisato@gmail.com))

8/23

Subject: no subject

 

I’m so done. I’m so tired of this. I can’t do it anymore. I hate who I am now. I hate this person. I’m not me anymore. I just want this to stop. I’m sorry for being a downer, but I’ve had such a bad day. Sorry. Just sorry.

 

 

 

…

I sat at the edge of the cliff for an hour, not sure what I was planning. If I was honest with myself, I wanted to die, but I was too much of a coward to throw myself off of the cliff. So I sat and I wept. My phone rang then, and no surprise, it was Asami.

“Hello?” I answered dully.

_“Korra? Thank God. I was so worried. You can’t send an email like that. I was_ so worried _!”_

Hearing Asami’s voice made me sob harder. God I missed her. I missed her so much. “S-s-sorry,” I choked out. “I’m sorry.”

_“Can you tell me what happened to upset you?”_

So I told her. I told her about every glance I’d endured over the past six months, the encounter with the man this morning, and the mysterious girl who decided I had CP. I told her how sick I was of hating everyone, most of all myself. I told her I didn’t want to live anymore.

_“I’m so sorry. I wish I could make this better for you. I wish I were there with you. If it makes a difference, I love the person you are now. You are so, so strong. You need to believe it and start standing up for yourself. Stop taking crap from people. I wish I were there to protect you.”_ I could hear tears in Asami’s voice, which was startling because she never cried.

“I miss you.” Whoops. That wasn’t supposed to slip out. I was just so tired and my filter wasn’t working anymore. I wiped my eyes and tried to get ahold of myself.

Asami laughed. _“I miss you too. When are you coming home?”_

I thought about it seriously for the first time. “I want to be better first, but hopefully I can visit next summer. Maybe I can find a summer job or an internship or something.”

_“You could intern at Future Industries. The Human Resource department might be a good fit.”_

“Maybe.” I wasn’t ready to commit to anything yet, especially since I didn’t know if I’d actually feel well enough to go back to Republic City by then. I looked at the setting sun. It was probably time for me to head back inside. “Thanks for talking me down.”

_“Anytime. Keep yourself safe, Korra. I love you.”_

My heart sped up and I grew uncomfortably hot. She said it so easily. It made me so happy to know that she was such a great friend and that she cared about me. “I love you, too,” I whispered.

 

 

 

…

School started and it actually wasn’t too bad. I liked my classes and was friendly with a few people in them. No one treated me differently from anyone else. It was wonderful. I’d started volunteering at a crisis hotline for one of my classes. I talked to my professor about my last experience with volunteering and she made sure that I was placed at a reputable organization. It was amazing. I loved listening to people’s stories, even if they were often told in hysterics, and trying to connect them with services. More than once I had someone call back a second time and say I saved their life. It was rewarding, if emotionally exhausting.

My professors were accommodating when I needed to miss a week’s worth of classes when the nerves in my back became inflamed and my legs felt like they were on fire. The physical therapist worked nonstop with me to try to get me comfortable. When the swelling went down, I had almost all of the sensation back in my legs and walking became easier. He predicted I would only need to use crutches for the next couple of months until my leg muscles grew stronger.

In the midst of my terrible pain, I experienced another bout of hopelessness. Instead of thinking about flinging myself off of a cliff, I cut my hair with a dull pair of shears. Katara walked in just as I finished and sighed. “At least you used scissors and not a sword. You probably would have butchered your neck and not just your hair. Give me the scissors and sit still.” She managed to fix up my hair so that it fell just below my chin. It actually looked pretty good. It felt good, too. I felt like I was moving on. Even Katara admitted that my impulsive choice worked out for the best.

When I returned to class, the first snow of the year had fallen, which made walking to class tricky. The sidewalks were cleared and salted, but they were still slushy and icy in places. I slipped a number of times, but managed to catch myself all but once. Thankfully, when I fell, I fell into the snow and not on the sidewalk; that would have hurt, especially since my ribs were very achy that day. Instead, just my pride was hurt. I lay there, nursing it for a few moments until I heard a voice say, “Oh my gosh! Are you okay?”

I rolled over and looked up into the face of the CP girl. She had the same hipster look today, but her shirt was red and black flannel and she had traded her Chucks for a pair of sturdy snow boots. “Fine,” I muttered. It figured that she would be the one to catch me in my moment of weakness. Still, I did appreciate her help in getting to my feet. It would have been tricky on the ice.

The girl’s eyes flitted up to mine, but settled on the ground and she started talking really fast, her hands gesturing wildly. “I’m sorry about the first time we met. I’d been watching you all day and you seemed out of place, so I thought I’d talk to you. I have a little brother with cerebral palsy and he hates it when people pretend like they don’t notice his crutches. I just wanted you to know I noticed them, but that I think it’s cool. God I’m an idiot. You probably don’t want anything to do with me.” She quickly turned to leave.

“Wait,” I said. “I’m Korra.”

She turned back with a horrified expression. “Korra?” she repeated slowly. “Korra as in the daughter of Chief Tonraq?”

“Yes?” I wasn’t sure why that was such a big deal.

“I’m so sorry!” she exclaimed, her face turning bright red. “I’m so sorry for assuming you had CP. I didn’t know who you were. I think what you did to fight the Red Lotus was so brave. I really admire you.”

That was peculiar. “How do you even know about it?”

“It was in all the papers. They said you were a hero. I’ve always been interested in environmental issues, so I followed the Red Lotus pretty closely. They started off noble, but they’d been growing more and more secretive over the past couple of years. I knew they needed to be stopped, but it didn’t seem like anyone would be brave enough to stand up to them. Then you appeared. It was seriously the coolest thing ever.” She smiled at me bashfully and for some reason I couldn’t help but be reminded of Asami.

I couldn’t believe this girl. First she sees me as a cripple and now a hero. She obviously didn’t understand the situation. “It wasn’t impressive. I wasn’t brave. I was an idiot. I had no idea what I had gotten myself into. I got my family kidnapped. I traded myself for them, but it was my fault they were in danger in the first place.” The girl looked at me with compassion, but seemed to be speechless. “Whatever. It doesn’t matter.”

This time I turned and started to walk away.

“Wait.”

I turned back.

“I’m Rikka. Do you want to hang out sometime?” Curiously, she blushed again.

I didn’t have a good answer. I didn’t really want to hang out with anyone, but I also didn’t have any friends or a good reason to refuse. “Sure.”

When I got home that night, I emailed Asami about my encounter with Rikka.

 

 

 

…

To: Korra ([avatarkorra@yahoo.com](mailto:avatarkorra@yahoo.com))

From: Asami Sato ([asamisato@gmail.com](mailto:asamisato@gmail.com))

11/3

Subject: um…

 

Korra,

I’m glad to hear school is going so well! I love that you’re finally studying something you’re passionate about. I know the criminal justice part doesn’t interest you as much as social work, but it really will help you to get a job.

I’m also so excited that you’re able to walk short distances without your crutches! That’s so amazing! Are you planning on coming to Republic City for the holidays? I know being able to walk was one of your main concerns. Mako, Bolin, and Opal would really love to see you (or at least hear from you). I wouldn’t mind either J. Also, you should probably know I got you a car, so you’ll be able to get around on your own when you come back. Tenzin and Pema let me store it on Air Temple Island.

Iroh is coming to stay with me for the holidays. It’s been a month or so since I’ve seen him and I can’t wait!

Speaking of relationships…I’m really glad you’ve made friends! Rikka sounds…interesting. I don’t know if I should tell you this, but it sounds like she has a crush on you. If you like her too, then that’s okay, but if not, be cautious and try not to give her the wrong idea.

I miss you!

Asami

 

 

…

I kept that email from Asami in the back of my mind for the next couple of months. I hung out with Rikka at least weekly and the girl started to grow on me. She really reminded me of Asami. For one, Rikka was an engineering major with an engineer’s mind. She wasn’t as smart as Asami (but really, who was?), but she was far from dumb. She also had Asami’s confidence in her looks. Rikka loved trying clothes and experimenting with makeup, even if her tastes were very different. Finally, Rikka had a way of making me laugh when no one else could. Sometimes I caught myself pretending I was with Asami.

One day we were hanging out at the park. We’d decided to go sledding because my physical therapist wanted me to work on walking up hills without my crutches. It was so wonderful to have the freedom to walk without assistance. Rikka and I had a blast, feeling like we were children again. There’s something about the crisp winter air blowing in your face as you throw yourself down a hill on traditional sled, praying the steering mechanism works while you rush past trees that makes you feel young again.

On our fifth trek up the hill, I could feel my legs start to buckle. I was walking in front of Rikka and she caught me as I fell backward. We rolled halfway down the hill before we slid to a stop. She had landed on top of me.

“Hey there,” Rikka said, casually. We burst into laughter.

“Hey.”

Her face suddenly turned serious and she reached up to brush back the hair that had gotten loose from my hat. “Hey, Korra?” she asked quietly.

“Yeah?” I whispered back. I wasn’t really even sure why we were whispering.

“I really like you.”

I gazed into her blue eyes, searching for some meaning I felt like I was missing. “I like you, too,” I said, bemused. We’d be spending so much time together. Of course she liked me.

To my surprise, Rikka rolled her eyes and groaned. She flopped onto her back in the snow beside me. “No, Korra. I mean I have a crush on you. Do you want to be my girlfriend?”

I don’t know why I was astonished. Asami had warned me of it and I had been watching out for it and yet I was still blindsided. The thing was, I liked Rikka’s friendship. I liked being near her and laughing with her, but I couldn’t date her. I told her as much.

“Is it because I’m a girl? I waited forever to see if you were straight, but you never gave me any definitive clues, so I decided to just tell you. I’m really sorry if I misread it and made things weird between us.” She’d turned onto her side and was watching me earnestly.

“I’m not weirded out,” I assured her. “I just can’t date you.”

“Can’t or don’t want to?”

That was an odd distinction to me; I didn’t really see the difference. “I can’t. I just…can’t. I can’t date you in the same way I know I can’t fly or control water. It’s just not possible.”

Rikka looked at me in understanding, her eyes finally clear of confusion. “Of course…there’s someone else. It’s okay. I get it.”

“What? No. There’s no one else!” I sat up, ready to fight her accusation. Why would she think there was someone else?

“Korra, you might not have admitted it to yourself, but there’s someone else besides me whom you want to be with.”

I never told Asami about that day even though I desperately wanted to hear her thoughts on Rikka’s strange certainty that I wanted to be with someone else.  Come spring I did, however, finally agree to return to Republic City. Asami had gotten me a summer internship in the Human Resource department of Future Industries. I was ready to return, if only for the summer.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for all of your comments! You guys are awesome! I'm still taking ideas for the epilogue, though I understand that's tricky because you obviously don't know what will happen. Still, if there's something you want to see, let me know!


	13. Chapter 13

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Present Day: Jinora tries to guess Asami's feelings for Korra.

Present Day

“Do I think Asami loves you?” Jinora repeated slowly. “That’s a really hard question.”

Korra’s heart sank. She’d slowly been gaining confidence as the night progressed, but she’d nearly forgotten that realizing she was in love with Asami didn’t mean Asami necessarily felt the same way. She lowered herself onto the sand next to Naga. The dog sensed her distress and licked her gently on the cheek. “Thanks, girl,” Korra murmured.

Jinora, too, noticed Korra’s demeanor and hastened to clarify, her trademark side-bun bouncing as she gestured wildly. “I don’t mean I think Asami doesn’t love you! I’m fairly certain she does, or at least she used to. She was here all of the time when you were in the South; she’d work on your car and hang out with us. One time I heard her talking to my mom about you. She pretty much admitted to loving you.”

Korra’s head shot up to look at the girl in front of her. “What?”

“Well…” Jinora said slowly. “I don’t know if I should tell you, but she was talking about how much she missed you.”

“Jinora,” Korra tried to remain patient. “Just because she missed me doesn’t mean she was in love with me.”

“But you didn’t see her! Her body language screamed love.” Korra still wasn’t convinced and her face let Jinora know it, so the younger girl continued. “Anyway, I really do think she loves you. I’ve been watching you guys together for years and I can’t say with absolute certainty, but I am pretty sure. Her loving you isn’t my main concern.”

Korra groaned and lay back in the sand, taking comfort in the way Naga laid her giant head on her stomach. “It seems pretty major to me. If that’s not your main concern, then what is?

Jinora gracefully lowered herself into a cross-legged position beside Korra. “Even if she loves you, I’m not sure she’ll choose you over Iroh.”

Korra’s eyebrows shot up. “What? Why wouldn’t she choose the person she really loves over the one who will make her content but not happy? Why wouldn’t she choose happiness?”

“For starters, I think she does love Iroh, but maybe not passionately. If Asami loses him, she’ll be hurt, but not devastated. Let’s say she loves you with the same passion you feel for her. If she chooses you and she loves you more and more and then loses you, she’ll be broken forever. Asami’s already lost so many people in her life that she truly loved, I don’t know if she’ll be willing to take the risk again. Plus, there’s a good chance she’ll be afraid of you guys breaking up and I don’t think she wants to lose your friendship. That would be almost as bad as losing you.”

Korra thought that Jinora might be a prodigy with reading human emotions; certainly the girl was brilliant at it. “So you’re saying Asami would choose being content over being happy out of fear of getting hurt?”

Jinora nodded. “Exactly. Asami’s really good at self-preservation and taking care of other people, but she kind of really stinks at doing what’s best for her.”

“Yeah.” Korra definitely agreed with that sentiment. “So what do I do now?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Daily updates will continue through chapter 16. Chapter 17 will be posted on Sunday. I'm not sure about the epilogue (18). It depends on whether or not people continue to offer suggestions!
> 
> Thanks for your comments!


	14. Chapter 14

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Two Years Ago: Korra returns to Republic City to intern at Future Industries.

  **Two Years Ago**

Returning to Republic City was nerve-wracking. I’d only been away two years (not counting the three months I didn’t really remember after the mess with Zaheer), but it felt like longer. I’d barely had any contact with anyone except Asami during that period. Bolin had texted me a few times, but I never responded. I didn’t know what to say to him. Nothing was the same and I didn’t feel like pretending. I never had to pretend with Asami. Tenzin, Pema, and the kids had insisted on Skyping with me a few times, but it was always awkward, full of long pauses with no one knowing what to say.

At numerous points in the weeks leading up to my departure from the Southern Water Tribe, I nearly called Asami to cancel my internship. My parents said they would support any decision I made, though they had told me numerous times that they thought it would be good for me to go back, if only for the summer. After all, they had said, Asami went through the trouble of getting me an internship in her HR department. That’s what I kept reminding myself as I packed my bags at the end of the semester. My mom had taken me shopping to pick out some new business casual clothes. I now had a few pairs of black and khaki pants and button down shirts. She even let me get men’s clothes, though she was less than convinced it was appropriate. My mom had to bribe me with ice cream to get me to promise to ditch my Vans in favor of a nice pair of Clarks. They were actually pretty comfortable, if not my usual taste in shoes. Odd style aside, I thought I looked pretty great.

Even though I had new clothes, I was still debating whether or not I’d actually go until I got an email from Asami.

 

 

…

To: Korra ([avatarkorra@yahoo.com](mailto:avatarkorra@yahoo.com))

From: Asami Sato ([asamisato@gmail.com](mailto:asamisato@gmail.com))

5/15

Subject: this summer

 

Korra,

A couple of things: Tenzin is planning on picking you up at the airport on the 17th. He said the kids are really excited to have you back home. He specifically requested that you make sure Naga is clean because he doesn’t want muddy footprints in his car. You’ll start your internship in the 18th; I’ll pick you up for your first day and I figured we could grab dinner after work. I’ve got you set up with Kumud, the head of HR. He’s a really nice Earth Kingdom guy. You’ll love him.

You’re still planning on coming right? I can’t wait to see you!

Asami

 

 

 

…

Once I read that, I couldn’t bail. Asami was excited to see me and I couldn’t bear to disappoint her. Plus she was rearranging her schedule to make sure I settled in okay. I knew she didn’t usually finish work until 8 or so, so having dinner together meant a lot. I kept reminding myself of all of this as I hugged my parents goodbye and boarded my plane.

It was oddly warm when I arrived in Republic City. We deplaned onto the tarmac and made our way into the terminal. I’d forgotten what late spring could feel like! I could go around without my shirt if that were even remotely publically acceptable. I was planning on grabbing my bag from baggage claim and texting Tenzin to let him know I was ready to be picked up, but the moment I walked into arrivals, a half-dozen voices screamed, “KORRA!!!!!!”

The next second, I was tackled to the ground by Jinora, Ikki, Meelo, and Rohan, who probably just didn’t want to be left out because there was no way he remembered me. “Hey guys!” I grabbed each kid in turn and kissed them on the head, my eyes welling with tears. “I missed you.”

The kids were content to lie on top of me, but we were kind of blocking hundreds of people from getting into the baggage claim area, so Pema rushed over and started pulling kids off of my one by one. Then she hugged me, hard. “How are you feeling, honey? You look really healthy. I’m so glad to see you back on your feet.”

I swallowed hard. “I’m doing okay,” I said hoarsely. “It’s still hard sometimes, but I’m doing much better. Katara was a life saver.”

“My mother’s always been good at that,” Tenzin chimed in, coming over to hug me as well. “We missed you, kid.”

“I missed you guys too.” Until that moment, I hadn’t realized how much. My time with at BSSU and with my parents hadn’t been bad, but now that I was back with my foster family, I realized how homesick I’d been. I’d missed them _so much!_ With that realization, I promptly broke down and started to sob.

Tenzin looked panicked and muttered something about grabbing my bags so we could get home. Pema just held me tighter and waited for me to calm down, murmuring comforting words in my ear. When I was finally back in control, she let me go, but left her arm around my waist to guide me out of the airport and into the family car.

Jinora came up beside me as we were walking and said, “It’s going to be okay, you know.”

“What is?” I asked. Of all the kids, Jinora had grown up the most. She was thirteen now and was in the gangly phase of adolescence, but it made her seem ethereal rather than awkward. It was like she was some kind of spirit.

“Your aura is showing me that you’re filled with tons of feelings about coming home, but don’t worry. Everything will work out okay. Asami and your other friends are really excited to see you.” Apparently she now talked like she was a spirit, too.

I glanced at Pema who just sighed and shrugged. “Um…thanks,” I told Jinora. I wasn’t sure I was ready to see my friends, however.

I fell asleep on the way back to Air Temple Island, but woke up on the ferry. It was so weird to be back here. As we pulled into the garage, I noticed a cool, blue Satomobile parked next to the electric car. “Whose car is that?”

“It’s yours,” Tenzin said, eyeing me oddly. “Didn’t Asami tell you she built you a car?”

In all of the excitement, I’d forgotten about the car. Wait a second. “Did you just say she _built_ me a car?”

“Yeah!” Meelo exclaimed. “It was awesome! She was here all the time working on it! It was a piece of junk when she first brought it here, but now it’s awesome! Can you take us for a ride tonight?”

I was so overwhelmed. Asami had built me a freaking car! She just told me she got me one, not that she’d built it! I realized Meelo was waiting for an answer. Driving anyone right now would be a bad idea. I hadn’t driven since high school and my first time back behind the wheel probably shouldn’t include a backseat of wild children. “Sorry, Meelo, but not tonight, okay? Maybe once I get used to driving again.”

“Aw, man!”

That night as I spent time with the family, all I could think was that I would be seeing Asami tomorrow. I had a great deal of trouble falling asleep until Jinora came into my room and crawled into bed with me. It was hard to toss and turn with a teenager cuddled up against me, so I eventually fell asleep. 

 

 

…

Pema woke us up at 5:30 so we could meditate with Tenzin before I had to go to my internship and Jinora had to go to school. It was disconcerting how easy it was to fall back into my old routine. In some ways, it was like I had never left. I felt like I was back in my sophomore year of high school, complete with the general feeling of nausea over knowing I was going to see Asami. However, in other ways, everything was different. So much of my life back then had revolved around cross-country and soccer. After Zaheer, I knew I would never again be able to be a competitive athlete. That was something I really struggled to come to terms with when I was first injured, but now I was just grateful to be able to walk and do gentle exercises. Jogging a few miles a couple of times a week would be enough for me.

That morning I was nervous about my internship and I was pretty much terrified to see Asami for the first time since I left Republic City. We’d stayed in contact via email and a few phone calls, but would she be mad at me for staying away longer than I’d planned? Would she hate me for being so focused on myself? What if I didn’t have a place in her life anymore? Meditating beside the kids and Tenzin helped me to center myself. By the time we were finished, I felt like I could face the day without having a minor anxiety attack.

I went through my morning routine and again thought about how similar I felt to my high school self. Naga was a bit older and a step slower on her walk, but almost imperceptibly so. I supposed it was a good metaphor for myself. I was the only one who could tell the difference between the person I was now and the person I used to be.

As I was finishing my breakfast, there was a knock on the door. I quickly rinsed my cereal bowl and dropped it in the sink before opening the door. I stood there uncomfortably, smiling shyly at Asami. She looked older. Her facial features were more defined, her face thinner, and she was wearing her hair pulled back. She almost never used to pull it back. She couldn’t have been taller, but it really seemed like she’d grown. She wasted no time pulling me into a tight hug. I rocked back on my heels to absorb her weight.

“It’s so good to see you again,” she said into my ear.

I wanted to sob and hold her tightly so that I would never have to be separated from her again, but I clenched my hands into fists against her back to control myself. “You too,” I managed to choke out.

We pulled back, but kept hold of each other. Asami reached out and touched the ends of my hair. “I’m loving the hair,” she said, sounding so confident. How was she always so confident?

I blushed and brushed it back. I’d forgotten I’d even cut it. It had been awhile since I’d thought about it. “Thanks. You’re looking snazzy as always.” Oh God. Did I just say that? Who says that? Asami would think I was an idiot…or a boy complimenting a girl at a freaking Sock Hop. I wasn’t sure which was worse.

Fortunately, Asami just smiled softly at me and ignored my stupidity. “Are you ready to get going?”

I nodded and followed Asami out the door, thankfully remembering to grab my lunch off the counter. Being in Asami’s presence was difficult. Apparently I’d regressed in my ability to talk to her in person. I always forgot how gorgeous she was and how much I missed her until I was with her. Then I didn’t know how to handle myself. I caught a glimpse of my car as we pulled out of the driveway. “Thanks for the car,” I told her.

Asami lit up. “Do you like it? I hope you don’t mind that I refurbished it for you rather than getting you a new one. It was more fun this way. It—um—it has hand controls as well as the regular foot pedals. When I was building it I wasn’t sure if you’d be able to walk again.”

I managed a tight-lipped smile. I hated remembering that time, but I was beyond touched that Asami had thought of it. “Thanks,” I murmured again, turning to look out the window.

“Is that…is that okay?” Great. Now my inability to talk to Asami was making her self-conscious.

I faced her and nodded, this time letting my gratitude show in my eyes. “Yes,” I said fervently. “It means so much to me that you not only built me a car, but also adapted it to make sure I’d be able to drive it no matter what. _Thank you_.”

For the rest of the drive she told me a little bit about what my role in the company would be this summer. It sounded like a lot of grunt work, but really, what internship isn’t? I’d make copies, go on coffee runs, and do whatever I was told, but I’d also be allowed to sit in on meetings to see how problems in the company were resolved and to see how mediation worked. As far as internships went, it wasn’t going to be thrilling, but it would definitely look good on my résumé.

Asami walked me to the HR department and told me she’d pick me up at five so we could go meet Iroh, Bolin, and Mako for dinner. The rest of the day was a blur, like most first days are. Mostly I just followed Kumud around and listened to him explain how things in HR worked. Kumud was of Earth Kingdom heritage and seemed to have the trademark stubbornness, which was odd for someone in his profession. However, being friends with Bolin had taught me that sometimes you need a stubborn person in order to get things done.

The HR department handled things like hiring, firing, problem resolving, employee training, employee complaints, and performance reviews. The other people in the department seemed nice enough, if not particularly interesting. After lunch I made some copies and created orientation packets for the new hires that would be arriving later in the week. I would attend orientation to find out more about Future Industries, as well as to see how to conduct an orientation. That sounded boring, but they would be providing breakfast and lunch, so I couldn’t complain.

As I worked I kept an ear tuned to the conversations going on in the five-person department. Most of the talk was about people I didn’t know, but they did mention Asami once. It sounded like they were worried about how much she worked and how few friends she had. That made me sad. It seemed that she hadn’t been spending much time with Iroh, which made sense given how often he was out of the city. He’d been stationed in Republic City for the past few years, but he had to travel to the Fire Nation a lot to train troops and take part in training exercises. Still, it sucked that Asami was alone so much. I wondered if she was lonely and resolved to ask her later that night.

After work, Asami drove us to a nearby fancy hotel for dinner. Iroh, dressed in his Fire Nation navy uniform, greeted us at the door of the restaurant. He gave Asami a quick kiss and surprised me by sweeping me up in a giant hug that lifted me off of my feet. “I’m so glad you’re better!” he said.

“Um, thanks,” I replied, managing to sneak a hand out from the circle of his arms to awkwardly pat him on the back. He may have been dating Asami for a long time, but I still didn’t know him that well.

“Asami talks about you all the time. She was really worried about you, so I wasn’t sure what to expect when I saw you. You’re looking really good. How’s the PTSD?”

He finally set me back on my feet and I chanced a glance at Asami who was smiling sheepishly at me. I hadn’t realized she talked about me with Iroh so much, and I guessed she hadn’t expected him to tell me. “It’s better for sure,” I said, not entirely sure why I was sharing this with someone who was barely more than a stranger. He was just easy to talk to and so nonchalant about it.

“No relapses? Nightmares are gone?”

I shrugged. “I still have nightmares sometimes, and sometimes I’ll have flashbacks, but it’s pretty rare now.”

“That’s so good to hear!” He pulled me in for another hug.

“Should we go in?” Asami asked.

Dinner went about as well as could be expected. Mako was aloof, hurt by the fact that I hadn’t bothered to stay in touch. He perked up a bit when I congratulated him on making detective. It really was impressive, given his age. He was one of the youngest detectives in the Republic City Police Force history. Recently he’d been given the task of protecting the heir to the Earth Kingdom throne, an annoying young man named Wu. Incidentally, Wu crashed our reunion dinner and spent the whole time hitting on me. I pretty much completely ignored him.

Bolin was also hurt that I hadn’t responded to his many attempts to contact me. I couldn’t blame him. He was right. I sucked. I sucked for all but forgetting about him. He was one of my best friends, but he was a reminder of the person I used to be, and while I was recovering, that was the last thing I wanted to think about. As he talked, I stared at the table, unable to meet his eyes. At one point he stopped talking and grabbed my chin to make me look at him. When he saw my guilt, he softened and hugged me tightly. I let out an inadvertent sob that I barely managed to turn into a cough.

Asami shared with the group that she’d contacted her father. Bolin, Mako, and I looked at each other, nervous about the potential consequences, but none of us voiced our concerns. She told us he looked so old and regretted so much what had happened. She must have caught my look of trepidation at what sounded like too easy forgiveness because she quickly said to me, “I’m still angry at him and I don’t think I’ll ever trust him again, but I’d really missed him.”

I nodded. How could I argue with that? He was her only family. If she needed to visit him in order to feel connected to her roots, who was I to question it?

Then she dropped another astonishing piece of information. “I’ve sold my mansion and moved into an apartment in the city.”

“What?!” Mako, Bolin, and I exclaimed. We couldn’t imagine Asami living anywhere but Sato Mansion.

She looked amused at our astonishment. “I sold my mansion and moved into an apartment,” she repeated. “I have the penthouse apartment in a building on the same block as Future Industries headquarters. It made logistical and financial sense. It was too unnecessarily expensive to maintain a full staff at the mansion when I was the only one living there, and more often than not, I wasn’t even home. Besides, there were too many memories.”

I recalled an email where she shared those thoughts, and in retrospect, it made sense that she would sell her childhood home. It would give her the chance to move on. I guessed it was an emotionally symbolic move as well as a physical one.

Asami drove me home after that. “Are you lonely?” I asked once we got into her car.

“Hmm?” She’d been lost in thought and I’d distracted her.

“Are you lonely?”

She was quiet for a long time, so long that I didn’t think she’d answer. Just when I’d given up and was certain I’d offended her, she spoke. “Sometimes,” she admitted. “But not too lonely. One of the reasons I like emailing you is that it makes me feel close to someone. I don’t think anyone knows me as well as you do.”

“Not even Iroh?” I ventured to ask.

“No,” she said sadly. “He’s gone a lot and it’s so much easier to tell you everything. Emailing you is kind of like writing in a diary, except that it’s a diary that responds and inspires me to keep going, no matter how bad things get.”

That gave me pause. I’d never considered that Asami relied on our emails as much as I did. I also wholeheartedly agreed with her description of our email relationship, though I’d never have been able to say it so eloquently. “Me too,” I told her.

“Good.”

 

 

...

Later that night a familiar hollowness filled my insides. It seemed that though we’d been apart for two years, even spending a brief period of time with Asami was enough to remind me how much I missed her when I wasn’t with her. The longer we were apart, the more I could forget, but as soon as I spent any time at all with her, it was hard to believe I’d forgotten at all.

 

 

…

I quickly discovered through office gossip that Asami frequently skipped lunch, either too busy or forgetting altogether. I figured that wasn’t healthy, so I started bringing her lunch, mostly leftovers from dinner the night before. Through her cooking, Pema was slowly turning us both into vegetarians. Most days I only dropped it off in Asami’s office and made sure she stopped working long enough to eat, but one Monday she told me to eat with her.

“How are things going?” she asked me.

“Pretty well,” I said. “I’ve learned that I never want to work in HR.” I realized how that sounded and hastened to correct myself. “I don’t mean I’m not grateful. I’m really glad I’m getting experience. I like the mediation stuff, just not the boring paperwork.”

Asami laughed, nearly spewing lentils across the room. “It’s okay. I know this isn’t quite your cup of tea, but it will look very good to potential future employers. But listen, what I really wanted to talk to you about is the Future Industries summer solstice ball.”

“Oh, um, what about it?” Hopefully she didn’t want me to come.

“I want you to come.” Ugh.

I hesitated. I was really grateful for everything she’d done for me, but I really, really didn’t want to go. “I—“

“Come on, Korra. Please?”

I sighed. “Okay, but I don’t have anything to wear.”

Asami lit up. “Perfect! You can come home with me tonight and we’ll go shopping for you.”

That’s how I found myself in a dressing room in some upscale store, trying on dresses. After the tenth one, I still hadn’t found anything. I was getting crankier and crankier. I nearly snapped at Asami when she asked if I liked the latest dress (a black dress with a halter neck).

“Whoa,” she said, coming into the dressing room to face my ire. “What’s going on?” She sat down beside me on the bench in the little dressing room and closed the door behind her.

“I hate dresses,” I told her. “I hate them so much.” To both of our surprise, I started to cry.

Asami looped her arms around me and stroked my back soothingly until I gained control over my emotions. The suckiest part about my life now was that I cried much more easily than I did before I was injured. “What’s going on?” she repeated once I’d calmed down a bit. “Why do you feel so strongly about dresses?”

I took a deep breath, ready to share something I’d never told anyone. “I always feel like I’m wearing a costume when I’m in a dress. I feel like I’m pretending to be someone or something I’m not. I can’t be me when I’m in a dress. It makes me feel so uncomfortable that I act really awkwardly, and my shoulders get stiff and ache. I just hate it so much.” That didn’t really convey all of my feelings adequately, but it was as good as it was going to get today.

Asami sat quietly for some time, her arms still around me, her hand still stroking my back. “Korra, are you a boy?” she asked thoughtfully.

I jerked away from her in surprise. “What? Of course not. I’m a girl! You know that! Did you think I was hiding my real identity from you this whole time?”

“No,” Asami smiled at me. “I meant to ask if you’re transgender. I hope I’m not out of line for asking.”

“I—“ I stopped, still too surprised to respond.

“It’s okay if you are, you know. I’ll use whatever pronouns you want and call you by whatever name you choose.”

Wow. Asami was so awesome. But…“I’m not transgender,” I told her. “I’m a girl. I just hate dressing like one.” I paused. That sounded weird and confusing when I said it aloud. “Is that okay?”

Asami laughed. “Of course it is, silly! I’m so sorry for forcing you into a dress back when you were in high school. Why don’t we stop looking for dresses and find you a tux instead?”

Relief washed over me. I could handle a suit. In a tux I could be myself, and might even look forward to the ball instead of dreading it. After I changed out of the dress and back into my clothes, Asami and I headed to a different store. As we walked, I said, “So, if I were transgender and asked you to call me Korro, would you do it?”

“No,” Asami said firmly. “Because as your friend, it is my duty to make sure you don’t get made fun of. I would not let you pick such a stupid name.”

We did find a tux (and I looked freaking amazing) and I couldn’t stop smiling for the rest of the night. It was pretty much the most perfect day ever.

 

 

…

The ball was surprisingly not terrible. I was wearing my tux, which meant I was so much more comfortable than the last event Asami had dragged me to where I was forced to wear a dress. Bolin brought Opal, while Mako and I went stag. Surprisingly, so did Asami. Iroh was out of town, which she understood. He was an important person in the military, so of course he had responsibilities. I was less understanding and kind of hated him for missing this for her. 

Asami was understandably busy throughout the event, talking and dancing with important business tycoons and government officials who were in attendance. She managed a smile and a wave in our general direction every once in a while, but that was it. Opal spent the night trying to talk Bolin out of dancing, which worked fairly well once she started distracting him with food. Mako sulked, not happy to have to spend a rare night off in a suit with what he called “stuffy people.” What was astonishing was that I was nearly as busy as Asami. People kept asking me to dance. It was so strange. I barely had a chance to eat as I waltzed, tangoed, and swing danced with countless young men and women. All of the guys told me they’d never danced with someone in a tux, and about half of the girls told me they’d never danced with another girl. To the first guy who commented, I responded with the unintentionally suggestive, “Well, I aim to provide new experiences.” After that I stopped trying to be clever and just smiled and nodded.

The last dance of the night, I felt a familiar hand on my shoulder. “May I have this dance?”

I spun around and caught Asami in my arms, in what was probably going to be the smoothest moment of my life. Based on her stunned expression, it definitely surpassed Asami’s expectations of my coolness. “Of course.”

When the music started, I took the lead. I tried to ignore the fact that I was dancing with Asami. “Did you have fun with your dance partners?” Asami asked in a voice I couldn’t read.

“It was you!” I grinned up at her, happy to finally be in on the joke. “I wondered what the heck was happening. What did you do, pay people to dance with me?”

Asami looked down at me with amusement. “Of course not. People knew you were my intern. I’d guess half of them were trying to impress me, but the other half were probably genuinely interested in you. I don’t know if you noticed, but you’re the only girl in a tux and you’re totally rocking it.”

I blushed and we lapsed into a comfortable silence.

Where did you learn to lead?” Asami asked, finally. “For that matter, where did you learn to dance?”

“Tenzin made all of us learn. Jinora and Ikki refused to learn the male part, so that left Meelo and me to pick up the slack.” I thought back to summer nights, twirling the little girls around the gazebo. I’d expected to hate the dance lessons, but they were treasured memories. Plus, this night made all that practice worth it. 

  


 

…

The rest of the summer was pleasantly boring, though sadly devoid of Asami who had an influx of designs to approve. I had forgotten how much I loved living with Tenzin. I missed them terribly when I arrived back in the Southern Water Tribe to start my junior year of college. My schedule was set and I was planning to keep volunteering at the crisis hotline. It wasn’t bad, but I was homesick for Republic City and Asami.

On the Sunday before my first day of class, I was moping in my room when I heard my dad call my name, “Korra, phone!”

“What?” I called without thinking.

“You have a phone call!”

Well, obviously. I’d asked the question before I could stop myself. Whatever, my dad wouldn’t think twice about it. I ran down the stairs and grabbed the landline out of his hand (yeah, we still had a landline. It made sense in inclement weather when we lost power for days at a time). “Hello?”

“Hi, Korra. My name is Kuruk. I’m the head of a local youth soccer league. We have a few teams without coaches and we were hoping you’d be interested in taking it on.”

That was unexpected. “Um…”

“You don’t have to decide now, but you could coach a group of six or eight year olds.”

“I don’t really play soccer anymore,” I told him. It kind of really hurt my heart to even think about, but I didn’t want to tell him that.

“Think about it and let me know? You can find my number on the Southern Water Tribe Soccer League website.”

We hung up and I spent the next week thinking. Of course, I emailed Asami about it.

 

 

 

…

From: Korra ([avatarkorra@yahoo.com](mailto:avatarkorra@yahoo.com))

To: Asami Sato ([asamisato@gmail.com](mailto:asamisato@gmail.com))

8/22

Subject: soccer

 

Asami,

Thank you again for letting me intern at Future Industries this summer. I really appreciated everything you did for me both professionally and personally. Seriously, you letting me wear a tux and telling me it’s okay if I don’t wear girl clothes was one of the best things that’s ever happened to me. Dancing with you at the ball was pretty great too.

School starts tomorrow, which I’m kind of dreading. Only two years left. Ugh.

Also, I got a weird call tonight. Someone from a local soccer league wants me to coach little kids. I told him I’d think about it, but I’m not sure I want to. I’m afraid it will be too hard to be around the soccer world now that I know I’ll never really be a part of it again. Thoughts?

Have fun proofing designs!

Korra

 

 

 

…

To: Korra ([avatarkorra@yahoo.com](mailto:avatarkorra@yahoo.com))

From: Asami Sato ([asamisato@gmail.com](mailto:asamisato@gmail.com))

8/24

Subject: ugh

 

Korra,

I do not appreciate your sarcasm! Proofing those designs took days and days and out of thousands, only two were of any use. This is my life now. I so, so miss being the one to design things.

I’m so glad you had a good summer. I’m also happy to hear I had such an impact on you! I didn’t realize how much the tux and dance meant to you. I’m so glad!

You’ll be fine. Suck it up and do your work. You’ll graduate before you know it.

The soccer thing…I think you should do it. First of all, you love little kids. They won’t replace Tenzin’s kids, but it might make you miss them a little less. Second of all, you love soccer. I know you can’t play anymore and I can’t imagine how hard that must be for you. However, I think coaching could be a way to make it easier. You could help kids to love soccer as much as you do. Worst-case scenario, you try it out and bail if you hate it. Everyone will understand.

Good luck with school!

Asami

 

 

 

…

Asami was right. I loved coaching. I chose to work with the six-year-olds so I could get them before they picked up on any bad habits. They were adorable and completely terrible at soccer. Twice a week I drove out to the local park for two hours of chaos and confusion. We all had a blast. We worked on dribbling through cones and passing, and always ended with a game.

At first it was hard for me to play alongside of the kids. I kept remembering how great a player I used to be and had to fight the temptation to get competitive. It would have been pathetic to take down a bunch of kids less than a third my age. Plus, while I was fully healed, I did have to be careful not to put too much stress on the damaged nerves in my back. The doctors said I wasn’t risking paralysis with light exercise, but that it was a definite possibility if I ever tried to compete at the level I used to. It was a blow to my pride, but I managed to push it aside.

Even in the late summer, snow still covered the ground. Wearing shorts, a t-shirt, shin guards, and cleats and sliding around on snow was a part of my childhood and I was thrilled to be able to share it with my kiddos.

I spent my Saturday mornings at the park, making sure that the kids maintained some sort of structure during their games. Thankfully, the other teams were equally as dreadful, so we usually managed to hold our own. One little girl was a halfway decent goalkeeper and she saved our butts more than once. We also had a boy who was pretty good at scoring goals, mainly because he was quick and never got tired. He would run nonstop, sometimes taking out other kids, but hey, he got the job done.

At the end of the two-month season, we had an awards ceremony. I was against participation trophies on principle, so I was really glad we finished at the top of the league and the kids could get real trophies. The kids were thrilled with their trophies, but I think they appreciated the pizza and soda even more. Sometimes I really missed being a kid, but I was really glad Asami talked me into coaching.

 

 

…

It wasn’t until the end of the fall semester that I was able to catch up with Rikka. We’d seen each other in passing, but that was it. I was busy with coaching, volunteering, and going to class, so our schedules never lined up. Added to that was the complication that over the summer she’d started dating a girl. After our mishap last winter, she took some time to get over the embarrassment of asking me out, but we’d recovered without too much damage to our friendship. That’s why I was thrilled when I were finally able to catch up with her.

“Hey!” I waved to Rikka as I sat down at the table she and her girlfriend had claimed at the campus coffee shop.

Rikka jumped up and gave me a hug. “Hey! You remember Yue, right? She’s from the Northern Water Tribe.”

I nodded in Yue’s direction. I didn’t know her well, but she seemed nice enough.

“Tell me about your summer!” Rikka said. “You were in Republic City, right? How did it go?”

I told her about the internship and how great it was staying with Tenzin. Rikka and Yue were most interested in the dance, especially when I told them I was the only girl in a tux. They requested to see pictures, so I pulled out my phone and opened the file of pictures Bolin had sent to me after the ball. He and Opal had snapped a bunch of me with my various dance partners. I handed the phone to the two of them and watched them giggle and gasp at different points.

“Whoa!” Yue exclaimed, glancing up in my direction. “Who’s the hot chick?”

She turned the phone around so I could see. I couldn’t keep from smiling sheepishly. “That’s Asami Sato. She’s my friend from high school, but now she’s the CEO of Future Industries. She got me the internship and bought me the tux.”

Rikka and Yue exchanged a meaningful look. “What?” I demanded.

Rikka shook her head and smiled her crooked smile. “Korra, I know you’re clueless about these things, but that girl is seriously into you.”

I snorted. That was ridiculous. “No she’s not. First of all, she’s straight. Second of all, she’s been dating this guy for years and she’s completely in love with him. Why would you even say that?”

“Well,” Yue began, taking over the explanation, “if we’re going just based on the picture, it’s in how she’s looking at you. You can tell it’s the end of the night because her makeup is kind of smudged and she looks tired, but she’s still smiling at you like there’s no place she’d rather be than dancing with you. Outside of the picture, it’s that she got you an internship, invited you to her ball, let you wear a tux when that is so obviously not the norm, and then danced with you for the last dance. That girl is into you.”

I looked at Rikka for confirmation. “She’s right,” she informed me. “You can be in denial all you want, but Asami is into you.”

I left the coffee shop an hour or so later feeling very confused.

 

 

…

I was less busy during the spring semester because I didn’t have to coach a soccer team. Asami’s company was doing really well, so she was busier than usual. She’d agreed to do a lecture series at Republic City University and to give inspirational speeches to young girls at an assortment of schools around the city. I read all of her speeches and they were brilliant, of course.

I decided against going back to Republic City that summer because I had a few credits to make up to be able to graduate on time. The double major thing was tricky. Jinora had been clashing with Tenzin and Pema thought some time apart would do them good, so she would be staying with Katara. Even though I wouldn’t get to see Asami, I was still looking forward to spending time with Jinora.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is probably my favorite chapter, though I really like chapter 12 as well. Question. Like Korra, I prefer guys' clothes to girls' clothes. I don't know many other women wear guys' clothes. I have one friend who does, but she is rather hipster, while my style tends to be more quasi-professional skater. Are any of you females who wear guys' clothes? I ask because I wonder if you notice the same trends as I do in people's reactions.
> 
> Thanks for your comments!


	15. Chapter 15

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Present Day: Korra tries Jinora's patience, but ultimately listens to her.

**Present Day**

Jinora looked up at Korra and said, “You’re going to tell her, tonight, so you don’t chicken out.”

“I’m—what?” Korra asked. 

“Do you have your phone on you?” 

Korra patted the pockets of her cargo shorts before she remembered that she’d left her phone on her bed. “No. It’s inside. Bringing my phone to the beach has never worked out particularly well for me in the past.”

Jinora let out a breath of laughter, recalling all of the phones Korra had destroyed. “That was probably smart. Here, use mine.” 

Korra took the phone that Jinora held out for her and stared at it. “What do you want me—“ 

“It’s pretty simple,” Jinora cut her off. “Open my contacts, select ‘Asami,’ and call her.” 

Korra did what Jinora told her, her finger hesitating over the green button that would make the call. She dimly wondered why she was doing what Jinora told her without questioning it. “What should I say?” 

Jinora pinched the bridge of her nose as if trying for patience. “Say this: ‘Hey, this is Korra calling from Jinora’s phone. Is it cool if I come over tonight? I need to talk to you.’” 

That sounded as good as anything to Korra. It was only 10:15, late, but not too late for a Friday. So she called Asami. 

_“Hello?”_ Asami answered on the second ring, sounding confused. Jinora didn’t call her very often. 

 “Hey, this is Korra calling from Jinora’s phone. Is it cool if I come over tonight? I need to talk to you.” Korra felt like an idiot for repeating Jinora exactly, but at least it got her message across. 

Asami hesitated for a terrifyingly long moment. “ _Um, sure. Give me forty-five minutes or so? I haven’t left work yet, but I should be home by eleven.”_

“You haven’t—“ Korra stopped herself from chiding Asami’s workaholic habits. That wasn’t what was important right now. “Yeah, okay. I’ll see you then.”

Korra hung up the phone and looked at Jinora. “Now what?”

Jinora sighed and Korra was almost impressed with herself. She’d managed to get two annoyed responses out of her usually unfailingly patient little sister twice in as many minutes. “We’re going to go back inside. You’re going to take a shower and wear comfortable clothes so you can spend the night at Asami’s without having to pack a bag because that might make things awkward.” She noticed Korra’s panicked expression. “I don’t mean for sex. Look, I can take the boat over to pick you up, but the ferry won’t still be running by the time you’re done and staying at Asami’s might be easier. And before you ask, yes. I will take care of Naga in the morning.” 

Korra gaped at Jinora’s foresight. “You’re annoyingly smart and good at anticipating, you know that?” 

At that, Jinora grinned. “Yes.” 

Korra burst into laughter at the girl’s arrogance. Shaking her head, she handed over Naga’s leash to Jinora and ran inside. Within twenty minutes, she was clean and dressed in soccer shorts, a t-shirt, and flip flops. She grabbed her phone and car keys from her room, and peaked in Jinora’s room to say goodbye.

Jinora looked up from the book she was reading and waved her phone in Korra’s direction. “Let me know how it goes either way. I’ll let mom and dad know where you are if they ask.” 

“Thanks, kid,” Korra said, her voice heavy with gratitude. Without Jinora’s wisdom, she wouldn’t be on her way to confess her love to Asami. 

Jinora smiled. “You’re welcome. Good luck, Korra. I really hope it goes well.”

Korra tiptoed down the hall and out of the house, locking the front door behind her. She ran to the second car Asami had built for her. It lacked the hand controls, but that was okay because she didn’t need them. As she drove onto the ferry and made her way down the familiar route to Asami’s apartment, she felt a sense of peace. Korra was terrified about how Asami would respond, but she was glad it would finally be off of her chest. Even though she hadn’t fully realized she was in love with Asami until tonight, it had been weighing on her for years. 

Korra pulled into Asami’s guest parking spot in the parking garage under her apartment building. She was a frequent enough guest that Asami had given her a permanent parking pass so they didn’t need to coordinate every time Korra came over. Korra greeted the doorman who by now didn’t make her buzz up to let Asami know she was coming. “Hi, Korra,” he said. “Ms. Sato just got home and mentioned you’d be arriving shortly.” 

He asked Korra about her job and she talked to him about his kids as they rode the elevator to the penthouse apartment. It was 11:02 and she was chafing to see Asami. They finally reached the top floor and Korra nearly ran to Asami’s door. Her hand hovered in front of it, hesitating for the first time since she’d decided to come. This was it. This was the moment. She took a deep breath and knocked.

Within a few seconds, the door opened, revealing a tired Asami who hadn’t had a chance to change out of her work clothes. “Hey, Korra.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for all your responses to my question about guys clothes. I honestly didn't expect any and I got a bunch, so that was pretty cool. Also, get excited because we're nearing the end! As a reminder, there won't be a post on Saturday because we'll have finally caught up to the posting on FF.net. Chapter 17 (the one you've all been waiting for) will be posted on Sunday.


	16. Chapter 16

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> One Year Ago: Korra conquers her senior year of college.

**One Year Ago**

I hung out with Jinora a lot that summer. She told me that there was a boy she was interested in, but that Tenzin had forbid her from dating until she was sixteen. We both thought that was harsh considering I was allowed to date Mako when I was fifteen. She hated being treated like a baby because since she was little, most people talked to her like she was an adult. It seemed that when Jinora hit her teenage years, Tenzin had panicked and decided to treat her as a child. Jinora, unused to having rules and facing childish reasoning behind them, rebelled. She had shaved her head and gotten the traditional Air Nomad tattoos without her father’s knowledge. That had been the breaking point between the two and how Jinora ended up spending her summer in the Southern Water Tribe.

She was freezing without her hair because even though it was summer, snow still covered the ground. In fact, it was more snow than she’d seen in her whole life. I couldn’t believe that, so I indoctrinated her into traditional Southern Water Tribe pastimes like sledding, skating, and ice fishing. She took well to skating, but wasn’t a big fan of the fishing. It was too much standing still for her taste. I thought that was funny considering the amount of time she spent meditating each day.

When I wasn’t with Jinora, I was in class or doing schoolwork. I flat out refused to graduate a semester late, so that meant I had to take a few electives during the summer. It wasn’t hard work, but it wasn’t exactly how I wanted to spend my summer. I supposed Jinora and I had that in common.

Asami was ever-busy with her company. She had rebuilt Future Industries so that it was now back on top and was looking to branch out into new technologies in order to grow her company further. Her new interest was computers. She was good at computer programming, but she decided she needed to expand her skills, so she took a few classes at a community college. Asami was less than thrilled to find that they were far below her abilities and hired a private tutor instead. I couldn’t believe this girl. She worked roughly fourteen hour days and then spent another four improving her abilities to engineer software and learning the intricacies of hacking. I was pretty sure Asami never slept.

Toward the end of the summer, I got another call from Kuruk.

_“Hi, Korra. I heard that your coaching went well last year.”_

“Thanks!” I said. “I bet you’re calling to ask if I’m interested in coaching again. You can count me in!”

Kuruk hesitated. “ _Actually, I had something else in mind. I’m the coach at Central High and was hoping you would serve as my assistant coach. The pay is minimal, but it is something. I know this is a bit more of a time commitment and may bring back some memories for you, but I know you would be excellent and I could really use your help.”_

I thought about it for a few moments. This year, however, I didn’t need more time or to consult with Asami. “I’ll do it,” I told him. It would probably suck sometimes, but it would be good for me. The little kids were fun, but it wasn’t much of a challenge.

_“That’s great to hear! I’ll see you at the high school next Monday at 3:00. You and I will talk for a bit before practice starts at 3:30.”_

“Don’t you mean tryouts?” I asked. Every season I’d ever had had started with tryouts.

_“We barely have enough girls to fill the field, let alone a roster, so there’s no need.”_

“Oh.” My spirits fell. Obviously this wouldn’t be nearly as high level as I was used to. “Okay. See you then.”

I hung up with Kuruk and immediately emailed Asami.

 

 

…

From: Korra ([avatarkorra@yahoo.com](mailto:avatarkorra@yahoo.com))

To: Asami Sato ([asamisato@gmail.com](mailto:asamisato@gmail.com))

8/21

Subject: high school soccer

Asami,

So, remember Kuruk? He’s the guy that roped me into coaching last year? Well, he just called me and now I’m coaching high school girls at Central High. I’m betting we suck considering he said we barely have enough girls for a team. Oh well. But hey, I’m getting paid, so there’s that. I have my first practice on Monday. I’m kind of nervous.

Also, I can’t believe you’re working on computer hacking! Kuvira was the only other person I had ever known who was interested in that. Apparently her fiancé taught her. She used to hack my computer to make it play folk songs that would stop just one note short of completion. It drove me nuts. Anyway, I hope it’s going well for you! Don’t hack into anything important!

Make an excuse to go to Air Temple Island next week. Jinora’s hair is growing back and it looks so funny!

How are Mako and Bolin doing? How is your dad?

Later!

Korra

 

 

…

To: Korra ([avatarkorra@yahoo.com](mailto:avatarkorra@yahoo.com))

From: Asami Sato ([asamisato@gmail.com](mailto:asamisato@gmail.com))

8/23

Subject: cool!

Korra,

That’s awesome! I’m glad you’re going to be coaching high school girls! Make sure you don’t let them get away with too much. It will be good for them to have someone close to their age to talk to. I bet some of them don’t have that. Be the good role model that I know you are. Sorry. Didn’t mean to lecture there.

I’m not doing anything illegal! I’m not hacking _into_ anything. I’m just trying to make our computers more secure and to find a way to develop a product we can sell that serves the same purpose. I could hire people, of course, but this is more fun. I’m getting pretty good; however, I have not yet tried to make a computer sing. Haha. That was a great story!

Okay! I will go “check on your car” and in the process will make sure I run into Jinora.

Mako’s good. He works a lot, but sometimes we get dinner. Bolin’s been busy working for a non-profit that’s helping to stabilize the Earth Kingdom. Things there have gotten kind of out of control since the Earth Queen was assassinated. Kuvira’s actually in charge of the non-profit, believe it or not. She seems to have gotten the Triads under control rather quickly. It’s a little disconcerting.

I see my dad every couple of months. He did a terrible thing and now he has to live with it. Sometimes he cries when I visit, which makes me uncomfortable. Still, I’d rather see him than not, even if it is unsettling.

Best!

Asami

 

 

…

I arrived at the Central High soccer field a few minutes before I was supposed to meet Kuruk. I’d brought along a soccer ball, so I started juggling as I waited. It felt good to work out the kinks. I missed playing soccer so much.

“Hey!”

I let the ball fall to my feet as Kuruk’s voice disrupted my rhythm. “Hey!” I called back. He looked like most other Water Tribe men with dark hair, light brown skin, and cropped beard that ran along the underside of his jaw and covered his chin. I’d met him a few times last year when he came to my kids’ games and was struck by how familiar he felt. He was one of those people with whom you can talk for the first time and feel like you’ve known them for years. I was glad I’d be coaching with him.

“You’re looking good,” he told me. “I’m really glad you accepted my offer. I think it will be good for you to get back into the competitive soccer world, and I know you’ll be able to teach the girls a thing or two about soccer and perseverance.”

I nodded dumbly. I didn’t know how to tell him I hoped he was right, but very much doubted it. What could I teach the girls about perseverance? Sometimes the world wins no matter how hard you fight? That was the best I could come up with. It wasn’t very inspiring.

“Anyway,” he said, “I thought we’d run through some drills today to determine positions. We’ll give them a chance to voice their preference, but we can’t end up with 8 forwards and no defenders.”

I laughed. “Yeah. I can see that happening. We’ll just have to talk up the role of a team if no one wants to play defense.”

Kuruk smiled at me. “I’ll leave that to you, Coach Korra.”

It felt nice to be called “Coach Korra” again, so I grinned back.

The girls started arriving then, filing out of the school’s locker room in a large group. For the most part, they showed up together, which was good to see. Even if we had good players, unless they got along, we would never be a great team. I’d rather have a group of friendly girls that played mediocre soccer than a solid team that was clicky and caddy. Kuruk started introductions. I didn’t remember any of their names, but figured I’d pick them up throughout the day. Soon they were off running laps and stretching to warm up.

As the girls were dribbling through cones, a girl in a wheelchair made her way up to the field. She just sat and watched the girls with a wistful expression. I surreptitiously glanced at her for the rest of practice, wondering who she was and why she was just silently watching.

The majority of my focus was on the team, however. We had several girls who had obviously been playing for years. Fortunately, they each played a different position, which meant that we wouldn’t be completely lopsided. At the very least, we would have an experienced player at forward, center mid, center back, and in goal. The rest of the girls were of varying skill levels. I could see hope for some if they worked hard, but there were one or two who would never be good players. Unfortunately, we needed numbers, so they would be on the team. I supposed it wasn’t too terrible because at least they were funny.

After practice, everyone said goodbye and went their separate ways. I watched the girl in the wheelchair talk with one of my players. It was an odd interaction. Kya, my goalkeeper who had the same name as Katara’s daughter, leaned down to hug the mystery girl, but the girl pushed her away. Kya pinched the bridged of her nose to hide her emotion. When she turned away to gather her things, the mystery girl wheeled herself away. Kya sank to the ground, no longer trying to pretend she wasn’t crying.

That’s when I stepped in. “Hey, Kya,” I said, crouching next to her in the snow. I wanted to put my arm around her, but I wasn’t sure if she would be okay with that.

“Hi, Coach.” She didn’t bother to look up at me, though she did quickly try to wipe away her tears. From the little I saw today, it seemed like she played up the “goalkeepers are tough” stereotype.

“Do you want to talk about it?”

Kya shrugged. I didn’t think she was going to respond, but then words started pouring out of her. “That’s Nini; she played last year. She’s my best friend…or she was. I don’t know anymore. She went for a drive in a snowstorm last year, crashed, and was hurt really badly. She’s paralyzed now and hates everyone. I don’t know why she bothered to come today. I thought maybe she wanted to talk, but obviously not.”

I was at a loss for words. It was similar enough to my own situation that I could relate to Nini, but different enough that through Kya I could now understand Asami’s side of things. “Can I tell you a story?” I asked.

Kya shrugged again, but looked at me curiously. So I told her my story, making sure to include everything I knew about Asami’s involvement. It was important for Kya to know how much she could help Nini. “Wow,” she said when I finished. “Do—do you think that Nini will walk again?”

That was an impossible question. “I don’t know, Kya. It depends entirely on her injury. Do you know if her spinal cord was severed?”

“It was.”

My heart sank. “She’s not going to walk.” I watched Kya dissolve into tears again. This time I did put my arm around her. “She can be okay, though. She just needs some help to get there. Do you think you can be the person Asami was to me?” Kya immediately nodded her head. “No, kid. Take some time to think about it. It’s not going to be easy and you have to be consistently there for her.”

Kya pushed my arm away. “I don’t need to think about it!” she exclaimed hotly. “She’s my best friend. Of course I’m going to be there for her. I love her!” She looked astonished at herself after saying that and turned bright red. “Fuck. I didn’t mean to say that.”

“Kya,” I said slowly, “Are you in love with her?”

Kya nodded miserably. “Yeah, but I can’t tell her because she doesn’t want to talk to me. What am I going to do?” She dropped her head into her hands.

By this point, my butt was getting very cold and wet from the snow, so I wanted to wrap things up. “If you have time tonight, go over to her house and talk to her. If she ignores you, that’s fine. She might still be listening. It will take some time to break through to her. Can you do that?”

Kya nodded. “Yes. Her parents have been calling mine to try to get me to come over, but I figured it would just make Nini angry.”

“It might, but that’s okay. Do you mind if I try to talk to her if she shows up again?”

“No.” Kya grabbed her stuff and headed home soon after that.

By this point Kuruk had packed up all of the cones and soccer balls and was lingering near his car. “Everything okay?” he asked me as I headed over to talk to him.

“It’s just Nini,” I said. “Do you know her?”

Kuruk sighed and ran a hand through his hair. “Yeah. Heck of a player. It was such a shame that she got hurt. You gonna talk to her?”

“I’m going to try.”

“Good.”

With that, we parted ways. When I got home, I immediately emailed Asami.

 

 

 

…

From: Korra ([avatarkorra@yahoo.com](mailto:avatarkorra@yahoo.com))

To: Asami Sato ([asamisato@gmail.com](mailto:asamisato@gmail.com))

8/25

Subject: crazy story

 

Asami,

 

That’s great. I hope you’re able to figure out the computer thing. It sounds really important.

Wow! I’m impressed Kuvira’s running a non-profit! She must seriously have gotten better at her people skills. Or maybe her domineering personality just works for this kind of work?

That makes sense about your dad. I would hate if my dad cried, though.

Okay, story. This girl in a wheelchair showed up to watch. Kya, my goalkeeper, went to talk to her, and the girl ran off. I talked with Kya about it. It turns out the girl is Nini, her best friend who was paralyzed in a car accident last year. Nini used to play soccer and hates the world. Basically, she’s me with no chance of walking again. I talked to Kya a little about how to be a friend to Nini, but to be honest, I’m not sure what to tell her. If she’s cool with it, do you mind if I give you her contact info so you can talk to her? You were amazing with me and I can’t think of anyone better for her to talk to. I’m going to try to talk to Nini.

Bye!

Korra

 

 

…

I wasn’t sure why I omitted the part about Kya being in love with Nini. Maybe it was because it felt wrong to potentially out Kya without her permission. Maybe it was because it wasn’t totally relevant. Maybe it was because I didn’t want to know how Asami would respond to that. Incidentally, Kya was more than willing to give me her phone number, which I immediately texted to Asami.

 

 

…

It wasn’t until Thursday that Nini showed up. On Thursdays my classes ran until 3:30, so I didn’t get there until 4. By that point, Kuruk had practice up and running. I threw my bag down with the girls’ stuff and spoke to Nini. “Hey, I’m Coach Korra.”

Nini ignored me at first, but slowly turned her head to look in my general direction. “Nini,” she said. The apathy in her voice brought back memories, things I’d rather not think about. However, I resolved to push through.

“I saw you here on Monday. Coach Kuruk said you were a great player.” Maybe that wasn’t the most tactful way to approach the situation, but I figured it would at least get a rise out of her and break through the apathy.

Nini gaped at me like she couldn’t believe I’d said it. “Yeah,” she said scathingly, crossing her arms. “I _was_ , emphasis on _was_.”

“Me too,” I told her.

“Huh?”

“I used to be a great player, a professional player, actually. I had a full ride to BSSU, but I got hurt. I was in a wheelchair for eight months and didn’t think I’d be able to walk again.”

“Well you obviously got better.”

She had me there. This was the one point I couldn’t really empathize with. I knew what it was like to think I wouldn’t walk again, but I didn’t know what it was like to know it. Still, Nini might hate what happened to her, but it didn’t mean her life was over.

“Yeah. I did. I won’t play soccer again, though. Too much nerve damage and I lost one of my kidneys. Sometimes it sucks, but my friends and family got me through it.”

Nini met my eyes for the first time and fixed me with a measuring stare. Finally, she sighed and looked away. “I don’t want to be a burden. That’s the worst part. I miss soccer and everything, but it sucks that I have to rely on people for everything. It blows. I hate it so much!”

I thought about that. “I felt like that too. People kept telling me I wasn’t a burden, but I didn’t believe them because it didn’t seem possible. When I decided to come back to the South Pole, one of my best friends who had been taking care of me tried to come with me, but I told her she couldn’t. I didn’t want to impose on her any more than I already had. She was pretty upset about it.”

“Yes! Exactly!” Nini grew animated for the first time. “I keep pushing Kya away for the same reason. She hates it, but what good am I to her like this? She needs to move on.”

Well, that kind of broke my heart a little bit. “What if she can’t?” I asked quietly. “What if giving up and forgetting about you would hurt her more than being there for you?”

“Then I guess I’m wrong for pushing her away,” Nini said guiltily, looking down at her lap. “I just feel so trapped. I wish I could go places without having to rely on people. Public transportation sucks here and I hate asking for rides.”

Yep. That sounded familiar. “What about a car with hand controls?” I suggested, thinking of the car Asami had built for me.

“They’re too expensive. My parents offered to save up, but now that I won’t get a sports scholarship for college, it’s not really going to be possible.” Nini’s face turned glum.

“What if I could get you one?” I asked, thoughtfully. “Would you accept it?”

Nini stared at me in amazement. “Are you serious?” she asked. I nodded and she exclaimed, “Yes! Of course!”

“Okay. I’m not making any promises, but I’ll make a call tonight.”

“That would be amazing!”

Nini and I sat in silence for a time as we watched the team play small-sided games of keep away. To be honest, I watched her as much as the players and I saw she never took her eyes off of Kya who, even though she was a goalkeeper, was a skilled field player as well. Every time she made a particularly tricky move, Nini would smile. Eventually, Nini sighed and turned her attention back to me.

“Did you—did you ever just want to die?” Her eyes flitted up to meet mine before looking away again.

My stomach dropped uncomfortably, but I kept an even tone and expression. Freaking her out wouldn’t do anyone any good. “Yes,” I said calmly. “Sometimes I did. Nini, do you have a plan to kill yourself?”

Nini ran her hands over the wheels of her chair like she was thinking about bolting, but didn’t really want to. “Not really. It’s more of an abstract desire. I’ll lie in bed at night and wish I wouldn’t wake up in the morning, or see a bottle of pills and think about what would happen if I took all of them. I don’t think I could bring myself to do it, though.”

I remembered my breakdown on the cliff, how hopeless I felt and how much I wished I could just kill myself then, but couldn’t work up the courage. Then Asami had called, which gave me an idea…

I stood up and shouted in the direction of the team, “Hey, Kya. Come here a sec?”  
Kya started jogging over and Nini hissed, “What are you doing?”

Kya slid to a halt in front of us, skidding on the slushy top layer of snow. She looked nervous and fidgeted a bit. “Uh…hi Coach. Hi Nini. What’s up?”

“Nini, would you ever break a promise you made to Kya?” I asked.

Nini glanced at Kya, looking confused. She didn’t know where I was going with this yet. “No? No. I wouldn’t.”

“Good.” I faced Kya. “Sometimes Nini wants to die. Sometimes she considers killing herself.” Kya looked horrified and made a move to grab her friend, but I held up a hand to stop her. “It’s fine. It’s normal, even. But she does need someone who will stop her if she ever gets close.”

Kya looked at Nini and then at me, and her face cleared of confusion. With a smile on her face, she turned to her best friend. “Nini, I want you to promise me you’ll call me if you ever want to kill yourself. If I don’t answer, you have to wait for me to call me back. Do you promise?”

Nini nodded, her dark complexion tinged with pink.

“No,” Kya said firmly. “I want to hear it.”

“I promise,” Nini whispered.

It was so close to the interactions I had with Asami when I was in a bad place, that I had to walk away to help Kuruk, lest I become emotional. Thankfully, neither of them noticed my discomfort because they were too busy hugging and I was back under control when Kya rejoined the team.

That night I emailed Asami.

 

 

…

From: Korra ([avatarkorra@yahoo.com](mailto:avatarkorra@yahoo.com))

To: Asami Sato ([asamisato@gmail.com](mailto:asamisato@gmail.com))

8/28

Subject: question

 

So, remember Nini? What would you think about me giving the car you made for me to her? I love it a lot, but it has hand controls and she can’t afford one with them. Public transportation down here sucks, so she’s basically reliant on friends and family.

 

 

…

Asami responded almost immediately.

 

 

 

To: Korra ([avatarkorra@yahoo.com](mailto:avatarkorra@yahoo.com))

From: Asami Sato ([asamisato@gmail.com](mailto:asamisato@gmail.com))

8/28

Subject: re: question

 

Korra!!! That’s the best and sweetest idea ever! Of course you should do that! I’ll convert it so it just has hand controls and ship it out within the week. Whenever you come back to Republic City, you’ll have a regular car waiting for you. Before you protest, Iroh’s out of town again, so I’m looking for side projects anyway.

-AS

 

 

…

Asami was true to her word. A week and a half later, Nini and her family (plus Kya) came over to my house to pick up her new car. She started talking more after that and generally looking less miserable. By midseason she was even willing to be the team manager. I knew she missed soccer so much it hurt sometimes, but her longing expressions quickly turned into delight when Kya smiled at her. By the end of season banquet, they were dating.

My semester ended without much fanfare. I would be completing my social work internship with the Republic City Police Department in the spring. Mako and Lin helped me out there. It was basically the most perfect internship ever. I would be shadowing mediators and helping out with paperwork. Ideally, if I did well, it would lead to a job. Of course, I would be staying with Tenzin and Pema. I spent winter break packing and then flew back to Republic City, ready to be home again.

 

 

…

My return to Republic City was much less dramatic than my previous one. Pema and Jinora were the only ones present to pick me up from the airport. They greeted me with hugs, of course, but for once I wasn’t tackled to the ground. My friends and family seemed to make that happen disturbingly often.

Like when I interned with Asami, I fell back into a familiar routine with almost alarming speed. I didn’t get to see Asami before I started my internship with the Republic City Police Department because she was out of town, but she made sure to send me an encouraging email the day before.

With her kind words and an energy-packed lunch from Pema, I was ready to tackle anything when Mako met me at the door of the police station on my first day. He’d made detective a few years ago and was continuing to rise through the RCPD ranks. Chief Lin Beifong was as gruff as ever, but Mako swore she smiled at him at least once most days.

When we got to the station, Mako walked me to a desk in the large, open office, and said, “Good luck,” before he disappeared for the rest of the day. That was less than helpful because I didn’t know where I was supposed to go or what I was supposed to do. The desk was empty, but it had a chair, so I sat down. I was there for nearly a quarter of an hour before I couldn’t take it anymore. There were lots of people working in the main office, but they never glanced in my direction and I didn’t want to interrupt them. I wandered off down a hallway in hopes that I could find someone I recognized, namely Mako or Lin. I found Lin’s office first. She was sitting behind her desk and looking very cranky, but I was out of options.

I took a deep breath, and knocked on the open door. She immediately looked up from her paperwork. “What?” she asked gruffly.

“Uh…I’m just wondering what I’m supposed to be doing,” I told her, hoping I didn’t sound like a complete buffoon.

She sighed and spun in her spinny chair to grab a three-foot-high stack of binders off the floor behind her desk. “Take these to your desk and read them. Sign what needs to be signed. You’ll know it needs to be signed if there’s a signature line. Bring them back when you’re done.”

I gaped at her. Reading through all of that material would take hours if I was lucky, days if I wasn’t. I heaved a sigh that rivaled hers, grabbed the binders, and said, ”Thanks.”

When I got back to my desk, I hefted the stack of binders onto the top and dropped my backpack to the ground. _First days always suck_ , I reminded myself, thinking back to the motto I’d always held to. I knew it was not going to be one of the few times I was pleasantly surprised. This first day would unequivocally suck.

And it did. I managed to read through all of the material by 5 pm, but by then I was exhausted. I returned the binders to Lin’s office and almost ran from the building, afraid she was going to give me something else mind-numbingly boring to work on. As soon as I got home, driving my snazzy new car from Asami, I sent her an email detailing my amazing feat of reading policies and procedures and signing release forms. It was sure to be thrilling reading for Asami. I knew it was just as boring recounting it as it was actually doing it.

She emailed me back the next morning assuring me things would get more exciting. Man, was she right!

 

 

 

…

It took a few weeks for it to really get going, but soon I was shadowing the RCPD mediator on jobs that weren’t too dangerous. Those were the best days. I liked listening to how he was able to calm both sides down to work out a reasonable compromise that everyone could tolerate. Apparently sometimes people got violent, but when I was there, it never even came close.

Everything changed when Kuvira made an attempt to kidnap the heir to the Earth Kingdom throne, Prince Wu. Luckily, his protection detail was able to get him back into their custody, but it was a near thing. RCPD was called in to assist in the matter because the Earth Kingdom was in chaos, and the parts that weren’t were under the control of Kuvira. Things with Kuvira had evidently escalated in the past six months. She had slowly garnered more and more support and thus had nearly unchecked power in the Earth Kingdom. Clearly she felt her position secure enough to venture into Republic City territory in order to kidnap Earth Kingdom royalty.

Chief Beifong initially called in Mako to go talk to Kuvira since Bolin was one of her biggest supporters. Opal had long since broken up with him over this, but at that point, it was neither here nor there. Mako told Lin that Kuvira and I had once been friends. That’s how I ended up on a plane to the Earth Kingdom with Mako and the RCPD mediator. I’d tried to protest, saying I hadn’t talked to her for a long time and that I didn’t know how to stop her, but Lin said I was their best shot at ending things peacefully and quickly. So, no pressure.

The moment we stepped into the baggage claim at the airport, we were met with a slew of Kuvira supporters protesting our arrival. Kuvira met us in a small conference room in the airport. Actually, she met with me. She refused to allow anyone else in.

I nervously stepped through the door and took in the sight of my former friend whom I hadn’t seen for three years. She looked hardened. She used to have a sparkle in her green eyes, hinting at a quick wit. It was now a spark, ready to ignite when anyone got in her way. She wore a military uniform. I knew she was part of the Zaofu guard, and planned to pursue that after graduation, but I had never actually seen her in uniform before. It made her seem even more imposing. Even her hair was different, pulled back into a harsh bun. People used to say that if my skin hadn’t been so dark, we could have been sisters. I couldn’t imagine anyone making such a comparison now.

“Hello, Korra,” she said, a hint of mockery in her tone. “I see you’ve gotten back on your feet after the unfortunate incident with Zaheer.”

I drew in a sharp breath. I couldn’t believe she was leading with that and that she was making light of everything I’d been through! Who was this girl? What had happened to her? “Hey,” I said, making my voice as light as possible as I sat across the table from her.

“First of all, this is not a negotiation. I am going to tell you right now that I will not back down. Something you should know about me—and I think you already do—I always get what I want.”

I rolled my eyes. “Yeah. I remember.” It was kind of true. Even when I knew her she’d always gotten everything she wanted. “What does that mean though? What are you not backing down from?”

The spark in her eyes flared and I saw greed and a lust for power, but after a moment it was gone. “I won’t stop until the Earth Kingdom has everything it deserves: wealth, power, stability, and the land that was stolen from it.”

Hang on…the land that was stolen from it…”You don’t mean Republic City, do you?”

“That’s exactly what I mean.”

“What happened to you, Kuvira?” I breathed. It came out before I could stop it. I knew it was going to. It was the only thing that kept running through my mind. She had been running a non-profit. How did no one realize it had been militarized? Her experience with the Zaofu guard must have gotten her the aid of the Earth Kingdom military. From there it all must have spiraled. That was the only thing that made sense.

For a moment I thought she was going to attack me, but instead, she drew herself up proudly and said, “I was cast aside by my own parents like I meant nothing to them! How could I just stand by and watch the same thing happen to my nation when it needed someone to guide it?”

“You don’t think I understand that?” I remembered all of the nights we’d stayed up talking about how our families had basically abandoned us. I’d been in foster care almost my whole life, while she had been taken in and adopted by Suyin Beifong when she was young. We both had people who cared for us. How had she gone so wrong?

She let out a bitter chuckle. “Your parents didn’t abandon you, Korra. They didn’t have a choice. Mine did. I won’t do that to the Earth Kingdom. I won’t do that to my people.”

“Kuvira, please don’t do this. This is wrong. I know you were going to assassinate Prince Wu. You can’t kill people to get what you want. Please think this through.”

“You don’t think I have?” she demanded. “You don’t think I’ve stayed up all night countless times to try to come up with a plan? This is the only way.”

“We can’t let you do this,” I told her. “We’re going to stop you.”

Kuvira laughed loudly. “You? You’re going to stop me? Miss, ‘I have nerve damage and am missing certain vital organs, so I can’t even play soccer anymore’? How are you going to stop me?”

That was a low blow. The Kuvira I’d known would never have said something like that. I knew then that she was beyond reasoning. “Thanks for you time,” I told her and left the room.

“Did I hurt your feelings? Are you going to go cry now?” she called after me in the most obnoxious and immature tone I’d ever heard come out of her mouth.

I chose to ignore her. When I reached the baggage claim and found Mako and the mediator, I told them what happened. Before we knew it, we were back in Republic City. That night I lay on my bed with my laptop on my stomach and wrote an email to Asami.

 

 

 

…

From: Korra ([avatarkorra@yahoo.com](mailto:avatarkorra@yahoo.com))

To: Asami Sato ([asamisato@gmail.com](mailto:asamisato@gmail.com))

3/25

Subject: I can’t believe her!

 

Asami,

I met with Kuvira today. It didn’t go well. I can’t go into all of the details (national security and confidentiality and all of that jazz), but she was a different person. She was coarse and rude and just plain mean. She mocked me! She mocked me for everything that happened after Zaheer! She mocked me because I can’t play soccer anymore! What the fuck?! What is wrong with her?! She fed me some story about her parents abandoning her, but that’s always been an issue. Why all of a sudden did she decide to go insane? I really hope Bolin is staying clear of all of this. He was an idiot to join with her. Opal was right to break up with him.

Ugh. Sorry. I know Iroh’s in town and you probably don’t want to deal with me right now, but I just needed to say all of this.

Korra

 

 

 

…

To: Korra ([avatarkorra@yahoo.com](mailto:avatarkorra@yahoo.com))

From: Asami Sato ([asamisato@gmail.com](mailto:asamisato@gmail.com))

3/26

Subject: re: I can’t believe her!

 

Korra,

I’m so sorry to hear about all of this. She shouldn’t have treated you like that. I kind of want to beat her up for making you feel badly about your injuries. Maybe she actually is mentally ill and she can’t help the way she’s acting. I don’t know for sure of course, but clearly something changed. I’m not sure if I agree with you about Opal being in the right for breaking up with Bolin, but I’m assuming you were speaking out of anger rather than heartfelt conviction. I do hope he is safe.

Don’t apologize for emailing me. Iroh is here, but you’re important to me too. It’s never a matter of “dealing with” you, but rather being there for you. It’s my honor as your friend.

I hope you feel better about this soon!

Asami

 

 

 

…

I didn’t feel better about it soon because the Kuvira situation kept escalating. Thankfully Bolin had escaped because it was turning into an all-out war. I constantly felt anxious, remembering how powerless I felt during the Zaheer situation. This time, however, I was not in charge and the entire Republic City police department and United Forces were ready for any military assault. What they didn’t anticipate, however, was the computer hacking brilliance of Bataar Jr., Kuvira’s fiancé.

At the end of April, Kuvira led an assault on the city. She met with staunch resistance until, suddenly, all of Republic City’s computers went down. With no means of communication, transportation, or advanced weaponry, Republic City was powerless and Earth Kingdom forces threatened to take the city.

“Shit!” Lin cursed. “Get the computer geeks in here!”

Mako looked around in a panic at all of the computer engineers and IT workers that were currently working frantically to bring the computer systems back up. “Ma’am, they’re already here!”

“Get ones that actually know what they’re doing!”

Mako glanced over at me, his mouth opening and closing like a fish. “Asami!” he suddenly shouted.

“No,” I said slowly. “I’m Korra.” Had he snapped too? Did I have a bad effect on my friends?

“No!” he rolled his eyes. “Asami might be able to help. Go get her. The phone systems are jammed.”

With that, I was off. I ran as fast as I could to Future Industries. When I got there I was surprised to find that their computers were still working. Apparently Asami had gotten really good at the whole hacking/hacking protection thing. “Hey!” I shouted as I ran into her office.

Of course, there were about a thousand people in there. There was a crisis going on, after all. “I know, Korra. I’m on it.”

“Can you coordinate with the RCPD and United Forces?”

Iroh stepped out from behind the masses and waved to me. Asami pointed at him and said, “As I said, I’m already on it. Can you take a message to Chief Beifong for me?”

And that’s how I became the messenger. Asami never managed to get the computers completely back up, but she did get the weapons navigation system back. From there, the United Forces made quick work of the Earth Kingdom fighters. On one of my runs back to the RCPD headquarters, I read headfirst into Kuvira. She was looking desperate, trying to salvage her mission.

“You!” she growled at me and threw a punch. It caught me in the cheek and my head whipped back.

Damn. That hurt. Thankfully RCPD taught me how to defend myself, so the next time she tried to strike me, I took her down to the ground and held her there. She started yelling all sorts of obscenities and calling on her forces to come rescue her. People were running in all directions around us, but no one paid her any mind.

“Kuvira,” I said finally. “It’s over. It’s time to stop. Tell your forces to withdraw.”

“Never!”

I sighed. “Kuvira, I literally have you pinned to the ground. The United Forces have your troops metaphorically pinned to the ground. It’s done. You made some bad choices and were defeated. No one can take over the world. Admit it. You’re done.”

“No!”

“I could kill you right now,” I said half to myself and half to Kuvira. It was an odd feeling to know I had that in my power.

Kuvira fell silent for a time, but she kept struggling. Eventually, she went still and for half a heartbeat I feared she was dead. Then, she spoke. “Fine. You win.”

I led her back to RCPD and turned her over to Chief Beifong who immediately put her on the balcony overlooking the city. She stuck a loudspeaker in her hand and said, “Tell your troops to stop fighting.”

Kuvira wiped away grime and sweat (and maybe a few tears) from her face. She sighed wearily, but she took the loudspeaker and shouted, “Stand down. The battle is over. I’ll accept whatever punishment the world sees fit.” She repeated this a number of times until Chief Beifong led her back inside.

I trailed after them and ran straight into Asami who had finally left Future Industries. “Whoa,” she said, steadying me. I was exhausted from running around the city all day. I couldn’t believe it was over. Rather, that it would be over. It would take a few hours before word spread and the Earth Kingdom forces stopped fighting, and it would take days if not weeks to repair the computers of Republic City. I knew Asami was up to the task, however.

Asami pulled me into a hug and we stood there together until Mako walked in and cleared his throat. “Um…there’s a press conference happening now. You’re needed.”

Asami reluctantly stepped back and made to follow Mako, but he said, “No. I meant Korra.”

That’s how I ended up on TV, recounting how I managed to take down the leader of the Earth Kingdom who had wreaked havoc. Needless to say, my end of semester paper about my internship was by far the most exciting of anyone in my social work class. I even got an award for it at graduation. Incidentally, Rikka came up to me after graduation and gave me a hug. “Go get your girl,” she told me. I laughed it off, but never quite forgot about it.

Once things cooled down a bit, Chief Beifong called me at my parents’ house in the Southern Water Tribe. She offered me a position in Republic City, working to diffuse crisis situations since I seemed to be able to keep my head. I would still work with the mediator, but would be given more and more responsibility until I could work on my own.

I emailed Asami immediately to tell her I’d be moving back to Republic City permanently and got a response back within an hour. She was thrilled and demanded that we hang out at least weekly. I couldn’t refuse that offer, so I got permission to move back in with Tenzin, said goodbye to my parents, and set off for Republic City. 

Asami kept her word and we had dinner together a couple of times a week. Sometimes Iroh, Mako, Bolin, and Opal (they were back together) would join us, but more often than not it was just the two of us. Those nights were my favorite. Everything was looking up until one day I got an email from Asami.

 

 

To: Korra ([avatarkorra@yahoo.com](mailto:avatarkorra@yahoo.com))

From: Asami Sato ([asamisato@gmail.com](mailto:asamisato@gmail.com))

6/15

Subject: any advice?

 

Korra,

So, Iroh just asked me to marry him. I told him yes. I don’t know how I feel about that, though. I love him and everything and we’ve been together forever, but I’m not sure I really want to marry him. I don’t have a good reason to say no. Shouldn’t I be thrilled that I’m going to spend the rest of my life with the man I love? Why am I just mildly pleased, but mostly conflicted?

I need your advice. What should I do?

Asami

 

 

…

That’s how I ended up on my bed, struggling to compose an answer that was honest and helpful. I didn’t know what to tell her! I didn’t think she should marry Iroh, but I didn’t have a reason why either. Thankfully, that’s when Jinora walked in.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Reminder: No chapter tomorrow. The final main story chapter will be posted on Sunday and the epilogue sometime after that.


	17. Chapter 17

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Present Day: Korra finally talks to Asami.

**Present Day**

“Come in.” Asami gestured for Korra to enter her apartment. It lacked many of the extensive furnishings that her mansion had sported, but Korra didn’t doubt the expense she had put into decorating. For instance, the white couch wasn’t fancy, but it was large and comfortably squishy, and Korra was certain it cost more than she would make in a month at the RCPD. Likewise, the paintings weren’t ornate, but Korra knew Asami supported local up-and-coming artists by purchasing their work at more than asking price. Asami favored abstract pieces in various shades of red. Sometimes it freaked Korra out a little, and when she told Asami, her friend had purchased some paintings with blue hues to try to balance things out. It had actually touched Korra, though she was fairly certain Asami had meant it as a joke.

Korra walked into the apartment and slipped off her shoes. Even though Asami had hardwood floors, she was adamantly against wearing shoes in the house because her expensive patterned throw rugs would get dirty. Plus, it senselessly tracked in dirt. 

Korra looked up at Asami and found that the girl was watching her. “So,” Asami said curiously, “What’s up?” 

“Uh…” Korra hesitated, suddenly very anxious. Her heart rate sped up and her breathing became shallow. Her face grew red at the thought of having a panic attack at this moment. She remembered Jinora and she forced herself into her calm place. A few moments passed, and Asami was watching her again. Korra took a deep breath, ready to share her secret, but chickened out at the last second. “It’s about your email.” Oh well, she would have to build to it.

“Okay.” Asami touched the giant diamond ring on her left hand, but didn’t look away from Korra. Her face was an unreadable mask, though Korra could tell by her fidgeting that she was nervous. 

“I—I don’t think I can give you an answer because I can’t be objective.” _Damn it!_ Korra thought. She had taken the easy way out again. 

At that, Asami surprised Korra by laughing. Suddenly the older girl seemed much more relaxed, though not entirely because they were still standing in the entryway. Miss Manners Sato would normally have insisted Korra have a drink and something to eat before they did anything else. “Why would I want someone objective? That would be someone who doesn’t know me! An objective person would say I should marry Iroh. Objectively it’s a good decision. You, on the other hand, know the whole situation. I want you to be subjective. Maybe then I can figure out why it doesn’t feel like a good decision.” 

She looked at Korra hopefully. Korra didn’t know what to make of it. Did Asami want her to tell her to leave Iroh? Did she want her to reassure her that even if it didn’t feel right she should do it anyway? She couldn’t tell. So, Korra decided to go with the truth. Emboldened by her decision and the perfect opening, she said, “Listen Asami—“ 

Asami gasped in surprise. Astonished, Korra looked behind her, certain something terrifying or exciting must have come through the door. Instead, Asami was staring at her. “What?” Korra demanded. 

“You just called me by my name. You never do that.” Asami blinked rapidly, a sure sign she was trying to avoid crying. 

Korra gaped at Asami, totally thrown off. It was true she realized, now that Asami had mentioned it. It had never occurred to her before, but it had seemed too intimate to use her name. It was like she was afraid calling her “Asami” would have shown all of her feelings, like all of the love she carried would be made visible by that one word. “I—yeah, I guess you’re right.” Korra admitted. Now that she’d said it, though, she had the courage to continue. She closed her eyes and said, “I don’t think you should marry Iroh.” 

Asami’s eyebrows rose in surprise. “Okay,” she said slowly. “Why?” 

Korra took a deep breath and met Asami’s eyes. With a steady gaze and a quiet, but confident voice, she answered, “Because I want you to choose me.” 

Korra could hear Asami’s quiet gasp from where she stood several feet away, and her heart sank when Asami took a step backward. “What?” 

Korra sighed. She had nothing to lose, so she ran a hand through her chin length hair and bolstered her nerve for her confession. “Look, before tonight I didn’t realize I had been completely in love with you for years. Jinora helped me to see that. I don’t know if you’re in love with me, but I know you’re not really in love with Iroh. He’s safe. He’s how you can avoid getting hurt. He’s your hiding place. You’ll always be content with him, but you won’t really be happy.” 

“What are you saying?” Asami took another step back and Korra could feel her chances slipping away. 

Korra countered Asami’s move by walking slowly forward until she was right in front of the woman she loved. She gently reached out and threaded her fingers through Asami’s ignoring the way her friend tensed at the contact. “I’m saying you should choose me. Choose me because I’ll make you happy.” 

Korra drew near and hesitated for a moment. When Asami didn’t retreat, but instead closed her eyes, Korra leaned in and kissed her. It was a risky move, she knew, but she didn’t care. If she was only going to get one chance to kiss the woman she loved, she was going to take it, fallout be damned. It was a soft kiss, barely something she would bother to tell her friends about if it had been with anyone else. But it was Asami. It was Asami and she was kissing her and it felt so damn good! And Asami was kissing her back! Caught up in the kiss, Korra squeezed Asami’s hands. Asami must have come to her senses and jerked back. Korra was terrified she would run, but instead Asami rested her forehead against hers without letting go of Korra’s hands. 

“ _Oh my God_ ,” Asami whispered in a voice Korra could feel against her lips more than hear. She opened her eyes and moved her head back so she could stare at Korra. In the long moments filled with silence, Korra met her gaze, but started to panic. It was such a great kiss. Suddenly she understood what all of the books and movies had been talking about. It was everything her kisses with Mako had been missing. But what would Asami say? What was she thinking? Was it good? Was it bad? It had been awhile since Korra had kissed anyone. It was probably bad. Just when she reached that conclusion, Asami asked in a voice filled with wonder, “Is that how it’s supposed to feel?” 

Korra grinned up at the girl who would sadly always be a few inches taller. “Like you want to cry and laugh and dance and sing all at the same time?” 

Asami let out a hushed laugh. “I was going to say that I never wanted it to end, but I like your description better.” 

Korra took that as an invitation and leaned in to kiss her again. Asami, however, placed a hand on her shoulder and held her back. “Hang on,” Asami said. “I can’t do this.” 

As high as Korra had felt just a second ago, she crashed twice as hard. Why had Asami led her on? She could have pulled away from the kiss and said it hadn’t meant anything! “What?” Korra croaked. 

“Listen, Korra. I might not love Iroh passionately, but I do love him. Maybe being content is enough for me.” 

Korra shook her head vehemently. “No it’s not! It’s just safe. You’re scared of being happy because it hurts more if you lose it. Yeah, it’s scary, but it’s also living. C’mon Asami, let yourself be happy. Choose me.” 

Asami bit her lip and looked down at the ground, clearly thinking about it. She heaved a defeated sigh, her shoulders slumping, and said, “I can’t.” 

Korra squeezed her fingers again. “Asami, do you love me?” 

Korra watched as a lone tear slipped down Asami’s cheek, but neither girl moved to wipe it away. “Yes,” she murmured. 

At that, Korra let go of one of Asami’s hands to reach up and cup her neck, brushing her thumb comfortingly back and forth against her cheek. When Asami finally looked up at her, Korra smiled. “Be brave, Asami. Let yourself be happy. Choose me.” 

“What if I lose you?” Asami asked, her voice broken. “That would kill me.” 

“No,” Korra said softly. “It would hurt like fucking hell, but you’d get through it. I can’t promise things will always work perfectly between us or that you’ll never lose me, but I can promise that long as I’m living and you want me by your side, I won’t ever leave.” Korra could tell that Asami was wavering. “Asami, I love you. Let me make you happy.” 

Finally, Asami nodded and collapsed into Korra’s arms. They stood there together for a time until Asami had collected herself. “I need to tell Iroh,” she said, not quite meeting Korra’s eyes. “Give me a few minutes.” 

She disappeared down the hall and into her room. Korra started to panic again, unsure of what it meant. Asami was choosing her, right? If she called off the engagement, Asami would date Korra? 

When Asami came back, she was dressed in jeans and a t-shirt and looking nervous. She’d even touched up her makeup that Korra’s kiss had smudged. “I’m going to go break things off with Iroh. Stay with me tonight?” She smiled bashfully at Korra. 

Korra stopped panicking over the state of their relationship and started panicking for other reasons. “I—“ 

Asami, however, could read Korra as well as Korra could read her. Her face softened and her smile turned comforting. “Not sex, Korra. I know you’re not ready for that. I’ll never try to make you do something you don’t want to.”

“It’s not that I don’t want to,” Korra hastened to clarify. 

Asami nodded in understanding. “You’re just afraid. It’s okay. I’ll be nervous too when we get to that point. No rush, though, and certainly not tonight. Anyway, I’ll be back at some point. Make yourself at home.” 

Asami departed and Korra wandered around the apartment. It was familiar, but she didn’t know what she should be doing. Asami didn’t have a TV and she didn’t know the password to her laptop. She made her way into the bathroom and dug a new toothbrush out of the drawer in the hall bathroom. After brushing her teeth, Korra realized she was exhausted, so she went back to the living room and lay down on the gloriously comfortable couch. She pulled out her phone to text Jinora. 

**Korra:** Staying at Asami’s. Thanks for everything  
 **Jinora:**!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  
 **Jinora:** I expect all of the details tomorrow!!!!  
 **Korra: :)**

She dropped her phone and before she knew it, she was waking up to a key in the lock. Asami had returned and it only took—Korra checked her phone—an hour? It had gone that quickly? 

A tired looking Asami walked through the door and shot a smile in Korra’s direction as she hung up her keys on the key hook. 

“How’d it go?” Korra asked nervously. She was afraid Iroh would have convinced Asami to change her mind. 

Asami ran a hand through her ponytail. “It went okay. He was really good about it. Give me ten minutes to get ready for bed and I’ll tell you about it?” 

“Sure.” 

Korra watched Asami head down the hall and into the master bedroom without closing the door. Her heart sped up at the intimacy of the gesture. It felt really important because Asami had always closed the door in the past. Korra had been around Asami long enough to know the girl had a specific nightly routine. It was something Korra had managed to piece together through various interactions and numerous discussions over the years. 

For starters, Asami always showered at night. She didn’t wash her hair daily, but it was so thick that when she did, it took hours to dry. Washing it in the morning was never an option. Plus, she always said she hated going to bed dirty because it was gross. 

Korra smiled as she heard the shower turn on. After Asami showered, she would always check her face in the mirror to make sure she’d gotten off all of the day’s makeup. Then she would brush out her hair until it was shiny if she hadn’t washed it, and if she had, until it was knot free. On hair washing days, she would rub leave-in conditioner through it to make sure it stayed healthy and didn’t get, in her words, “dry, frizzy, and gross.” 

Korra heard the shower shut off in just a few minutes, which meant tonight wasn’t a hair washing night. She was grateful because she didn’t want to have to wait longer to hear what had happened with Iroh. When Asami reemerged from her bedroom, Korra had to swallow hard and look away. Asami had traded her jeans and t-shirt for red silk pajama shorts and a white cotton tank top. Korra could tell she wasn’t wearing a bra. Asami’s toned long legs and her overall beauty made her feel self-conscious. Next to Asami, Korra was just a former jock. Of course, she still ran or lifted daily, but she knew she would never be the same as she had been when she was training hard everyday. In addition, her soccer shorts, old t-shirt, and ratty sports bra didn’t compare to Asami’s sleepwear. 

Asami, however, didn’t seem to notice either Korra’s attire or her self-deprecation as she sat down on the couch near Korra’s head. Korra bit back a gasp at how close her face was to Asami’s thigh. She wanted to reach out and touch her, but—but nothing! Korra could totally do that now that she had nothing to hide. If Asami didn’t like it, she could just tell her to stop. 

Korra looped her arms around Asami’s torso and pressed her forehead against her hip. “So, tell me how it went,” she sighed, tingling at the close proximity. 

Asami began to gently run her hands through Korra’s still damp hair. “It went well. He told me that he just wanted me to be happy, and if that wasn’t with him, he understood. He wants me to give him some time, but he’d like to be friends eventually. Actually, he’d like to be friends with both of us. He said he’s always liked you and knew that we had something special.” 

“Wow,” Korra murmured. Iroh was such a great guy. She didn’t know if she could be that big of a person if someone broke her heart like that, especially a girl as great as Asami. 

Asami laughed. “Yeah. He even hugged me goodbye after I gave him the ring back. I don’t know what I expected, but it wasn’t that.” 

“Hmmm.” Korra hummed. She was growing sleepy again now that all of her fears had been allayed. 

“Hey, sleepyhead, I have a bed, you know.” Asami tugged on the ends of Korra’s hair. 

Korra was too tired to fully process Asami’s words, but she did feel her hair being tugged. “Huh?” 

“Bed. Let’s go.” 

Asami pulled Korra to her feet and guided her to her bedroom. The short walk was enough to wake Korra fully and a glance at Asami gave her pause. Now what? “I’m going to the bathroom,” she muttered. 

“Thanks for letting me know,” Asami said drily. 

Korra closed the door to the master bath that was off of Asami’s bedroom. She really did have to pee, so she didn’t have to fake flushing the toilet and washing her hands. She also used those two minutes to psych herself up for whatever was coming. Korra knew Asami didn’t expect them to have sex tonight, but she didn’t know what would happen. This was all new to her. Afraid of risking spending too long in the bathroom, she quickly dried her hands and stepped back into the bedroom. 

Asami was under the covers on the left side of the bed, her side of the bed, Korra guessed. “Turn off the lights, please?” Asami asked. 

Korra hit the light switch and made her way around the room to the far side of the bed. She was rather pleased with herself for not tripping over anything. Although, really, that was the easy part. The hard part was knowing what to do with Asami. Should they cuddle? Did Asami like space? Korra had no idea. 

Completely unsure of herself, she crawled into bed. Almost immediately Asami groped in the dark for her hand and tugged her close. “Korra, will you let me spoon you?”

“What?” Korra asked. She liked lying side by side with Asami. This felt nice. Spooning would probably feel better, but she kind of wanted to be the big spoon. 

“I know you love me. There’s nothing I’m more certain of. To be honest, I’ve suspected for a really long time. I don’t know if you’re as certain about me, but you should be. I’ve wanted to hold you for forever. Will you let me?” 

How could Korra turn that down? She rolled onto her left side and felt Asami’s arm come around her. It felt nice, really nice. It also felt really scary because it made this real. To be honest, she hadn’t been certain about Asami until this moment. When Asami molded her body against Korra’s back, Korra began to shiver. 

“Are you nervous?” Asami asked, her voice wavering between teasing and seriousness. 

“I—um, yeah, a little,” Korra admitted into the dark. “But I’m also excited and I kind of can’t believe this is happening. I don’t really know what to expect.” 

Asami held her tighter. “To be honest, I don’t either. We’ve been friends for so long that I’m not sure how to make dating you different.” 

“Um…well…this is a good place to start,” Korra laughed. 

Behind her, Asami chuckled in a husky tone. “Yeah,” she said. “This is definitely new.”

They lapsed into silence for a time and Korra eventually stopped shaking and managed to relax. It began to feel less awkward and more comfortable. “Hey,” Asami said suddenly, entwining her hand with Korra’s. 

“Yeah?” Korra squeezed the fingers that had latched on to her own. 

“I don’t want to make you nervous again, but I do want you to know that I really want to have sex with you someday. I don’t want you to think that I’m only interested in a slightly more physical friendship between us.” 

Asami was close enough that Korra could feel her heart beat pick up. Somehow knowing Asami was nervous made Korra feel calm. “I didn’t think that,” Korra said, humor obvious in her tone. “I know I’m a huge chicken, but that doesn’t mean I’m opposed to sex. I’ll probably suck, though.”

Asami snorted in Korra’s ear, unable to hold back her amusement. “Somehow I doubt that.” 

They fell silent again and Korra was almost asleep when Asami spoke again. “Hey, Korra?” 

“Yeah?” 

“Could you—could you maybe say my name again?” 

Korra smiled in the dark and rolled over in Asami’s arms. Of all the things she had said tonight, it seemed that speaking Asami’s name had left the greatest impact. Her lips almost brushing Asami’s, she breathed, “Asami.” Asami’s eyes closed and she hummed in approval. That didn’t feel like enough, so she tried, “Sami.” Asami shivered in response and Korra understood; that did feel more intimate. “Sami,” Korra repeated and pressed her forehead against Asami’s. They fell asleep soon after, both finally feeling like everything was right in their world.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Woo! I hope this lived up to your expectations! Here are my thoughts:
> 
> 1\. If you have ideas for the epilogue, let me know. I have a good chunk written, but can easily incorporate things that make sense for the characterization. Look for the epilogue in a week or so.
> 
> 2\. I promised a one shot from Asami’s perspective. I’m still not sure about this yet, so no projected date. Do you have a preference on whether it is in 1st or 3rd person?
> 
> 3\. I’m concerned that this story could be perceived as bisexual erasure. That’s not my intent. Asami is unquestionably bisexual. I’ll address that more in the one shot. Korra is maybe more demi or pansexual. I know they’re not the same. I guess what I’m saying is that in the show, I would say Korra is likely pansexual. In my story she is more demisexual. 
> 
> 4\. I seriously considered ending this story with Asami refusing Korra because it struck me as more realistic. However, I chose the desired ending partially because I didn’t want everyone to hate me, partially because I couldn’t deviate from canon, and partially because writing/reading stories provides an escape from reality. If your Asami chooses Iroh (as mine did), it does hurt like fucking hell. At first it hits you like someone is stabbing you repeatedly in the heart. Then it starts coming in waves. They’re more frequent and painful the closer you are in time to the heartbreak. Everything you see and experience reminds you of your Asami. Eventually you get to the point where it only happens periodically. You’ll hear a song or have a conversation with her that reminds you of how much you used to love her. It gets better. It really does. You can still have a happy ending (insofar as endings apart from death exist in life) even if it wasn’t the one you expected.


	18. Epilogue

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Moments in Korra and Asami's lives over the next few years.

**The Next Day**

Korra woke early the next morning with a desperate need to pee. She opened her eyes, expecting to see her room at Tenzin’s house, but instead looked right into the face Asami. She nearly jerked back in surprise, but managed to stop herself just in time. The last thing Asami needed was to think Korra was panicking about how she felt. Considering the warmth and contentment that spread through her body at the realization that she was lying next to the woman she loved, there was no reason to ever make Asami doubt her.

Still, her devotion to Asami did not preclude her need to pee. The trick would be extricating herself from Asami’s arms without disturbing her. Usually Asami was a light sleeper who rose early, but getting an average of four hours of sleep a night meant that some weekends she crashed. It seemed that today was one of those times and that Korra would find out just how heavily she slept when she was utterly exhausted.

Korra gently lifted Asami’s arm and set it down between them. With a last look at her girlfriend, she slowly slid off the bed and made her way to the guest bathroom. Asami appeared to be sleeping heavily, but Korra didn’t want to take the chance of waking her.

When she was finished going to the bathroom, brushing her teeth, and rinsing her face, she wasn’t quite sure what to do. Korra wandered around the living room for a while, examining all of Asami’s knickknacks. She had the coolest assortment of Fire Nation stuff that she inherited from her mom, and Korra knew her own mother had been sending her things from the Southern Water Tribe as well. When she grew bored with that, she checked the time and found it was only 7:30, entirely too early to wake Asami. She sighed and headed to the kitchen to dig up something to eat. 

Asami’s kitchen was fully stocked with expensive cookware, but she was severely limited in the food department. Korra knew if she asked, Asami would sigh and say she needed to get to the store, but the truth was she never had food. With her schedule, Asami simply never had time to cook. That meant Asami ate an assortment of takeout every week, which must have been enormously expensive, though, of course, that wasn’t an issue.

Korra tracked down a bag of granola with dried cranberries and frowned in disgust. She hated dried fruit. Still, it was better than nothing and she supposed she could pick around the cranberries. She headed back to the living room and plucked a book at random off the shelf. She spent the next hour and a half reading about the ins and outs of women in the engineering field and snacking on granola. When the clock finally reached nine, she put on a pot of coffee and headed back to Asami’s room. 

Her girlfriend was still asleep; she hadn’t moved from the position in which Korra had left her. With a mischievous grin, Korra took a running leap and dove headfirst onto the bed beside Asami. Asami’s eyes opened rapidly, startled, but her surprise quickly changed into a slow, sleepy grin. “Hey,” she said, her voice rough from sleep. 

“Hey back,” Korra replied and leaned in to kiss her. 

Asami closed her eyes and willingly complied, but quickly pulled back in embarrassment. “I didn’t brush my teeth,” she said sheepishly, her cheeks tinged a lovely shade of pink. 

Korra thought about it. Yes, it was true that Asami had morning breath, but it wasn’t so bad. “I don’t care,” she said and kissed her again.

Truthfully, Korra had been worried about kissing Asami again. What if it wasn’t as good as their first one? What if all of the awkwardness that was missing in their first one came back to haunt them? She needn’t have worried because it was twice as good. This time Korra was kissing her without worrying about whether or not Asami would kiss her back. 

Soon simple kissing wasn’t enough for her, and Korra wondered why Asami seemed content. With a jolt she understood that Asami was following her lead. This realization gave her the confidence to smile into the kiss and brush her tongue against Asami’s bottom lip. Without hesitation, Asami opened her mouth and touched her tongue to Korra’s. Korra was lost after that, especially when Asami wound her fingers through her hair. With hands involved, Korra felt comfortable reaching out and running her hands up and down Asami’s back, but soon she wanted more. She slipped her hand under Asami’s tank top, marveling at the soft skin of her toned back. When Korra’s hand slowly migrated to caress her stomach, Asami inhaled sharply and pulled away. 

Korra rolled facedown on the bed and buried her face in the mattress. “Holy fuck,” she muttered, trying to get ahold of herself and still the shudders that wracked her body. She hadn’t realized kissing could make her feel like this. She felt like she was on fire, but on fire in a way that she wouldn’t mind burning to death. 

Asami let out a throaty chuckle. “An inelegant if apt description,” she said huskily. 

Korra turned her head so she could look at Asami who was lying on her back with her arms over her face. “Why the hell are you talking like a fucking college professor?” 

Asami moved her arms so Korra could see her eye roll. “For the same reason you’re cursing more than usual. I’m trying to calm myself down to avoid jumping you because despite your kissing enthusiasm, I doubt one night of being together has readied you for sex.” 

“I—“ Korra wasn’t quite sure what to say. “You’re turned on right now?” 

Asami’s face turned bright red, but she still managed to look at Korra with profound disbelief. “Let’s see. I’m in love with you, you’re unbelievably beautiful, I just made out with you in my bed, and did I mention you’re beautiful? Of course I’m turned on.” 

Korra gaped at Asami, unable to comprehend what the woman she loved had just said. “But you’re like the most gorgeous human being ever.” 

That statement met with a puzzled frown. “Okay,” Asami said slowly. “I think you need to check that last statement because you’re obviously not seeing yourself clearly. That aside, what difference does it make? Why can’t I find you attractive even if I am ‘the most gorgeous human being ever?’” 

Korra realized she needed to be clearer. “I guess I never really thought of myself that way. I definitely didn’t know you did.” 

Asami sighed. “I’ve been attracted to you from the day I met you. There were times when I was sure you noticed because you got all self-conscious.” 

Korra’s eyebrows furrowed in thought, but she came up empty. “Like when?” 

“Well, how about the first time you came to my house? You were dressed so casually, but looked incredible. Or what about when I did your hair for the Future Industries ball back when you were in high school? I hadn’t seen you sleeveless in awhile and your muscles were so hot!” Asami let out a self-deprecating laugh. 

When Korra finally processed Asami’s words, she shot up in bed and looked down at her girlfriend. “Oh my God!” she exclaimed. “Are you serious? I totally thought you were judging me! You were always so beautiful and put together that I figured you were disappointed I couldn’t keep up.” 

Asami cocked her head and fixed Korra with a measuring look as if she couldn’t decide whether to smack her or hug her. Fortunately, she decided on the latter, pulling Korra down until her head rested in the crook of her neck. Korra took the opportunity to turn her face into Asami’s neck to inhale her scent and place a kiss on it before settling down. 

“I wasn’t judging you,” Asami said. “I thought you were beautiful, and I think so even more now.” 

“I’ll always think you’re beautiful,” Korra responded sleepily, still tired after a short night. 

 

**Later That Day**

“Double dates?” Korra asked. She and Asami were driving over to Tenzin’s for the first time as a couple. Korra was certain Jinora had informed everyone, so it made sense to get this out of the way. On the way over, Asami had suggested they go through some common dating issues so they would be on the same page. 

“Fine, provided I know both people well and like them,” Asami responded. “For instance, Bolin and Opal would be fine, but if Mako ever gets a girlfriend, I’d rather get know her outside of a date setting first. PDA?” Asami looked over at Korra in the passenger’s seat. 

Korra was thankful that Asami had hit her with an easy question. “When it’s not weird. Like, I don’t mind dancing with you at a Future Industries ball, but I’m not going to make out with you in public. Holding hands is fine, so are kisses, but nothing much more than that. You have a professional image to uphold. Anniversaries?” Korra flashed Asami a crooked grin. 

Asami looked over at her adoringly as if she hadn’t realized Korra would be so understanding of her perpetual role as CEO of an important company. “Anniversaries? I think it depends. Certain anniversaries are nice to celebrate, perhaps annually, but none of the monthly ones. That’s always seemed childish to me. Marriage?” 

Korra gulped. She obviously already knew Asami’s feelings on the subject, but she was terribly aware that she had never mentioned her own. “Uh…” Korra ran her hand through her hair. “Yeah. Not yet, but we’ve been friends for long enough that I know I’d like to marry you someday.” 

“Good.” Asami reached over to squeeze Korra’s hand. 

“Uh…grand gestures?” 

Asami took her time answering this one. “Iroh was really into grand gestures, but I always thought it made him seem like he was trying too hard.  I’d rather you just be there for me everyday. I don’t need you to buy me presents or set up elaborate dates. Just be there. Does that make sense?” 

Korra nodded. “Yeah. You’ve lost a lot of people you cared about, so it’s important for the people you love to stick around. When someone is around all the time they can notice the little things. Like if you come home late I could have dinner ready or if you’re tense, I can give you a backrub –the things I wouldn’t notice if I wasn’t around.” 

For a moment, Korra thought Asami was going to cry, but instead, she shook her head and quietly said, “I’m so glad you told me how you felt and gave me the option to choose you. I wouldn’t let myself think about how much I loved you and tried to focus on Iroh instead even though I knew I was settling for second best with him. You were always my first choice, even if I didn’t acknowledge it.” 

“Me too,” Korra replied. Those words gave her comfort. She’d been concerned that Asami was moving on too fast, but didn’t want to say anything lest she spook her and lose her forever. At this moment, however, she didn’t want the mood to get too serious. “Just remember that when I do something stupid because I’m still impulsive or when you find out how messy I am!” 

Asami groaned, but also let out a laugh. “Don’t remind me!” 

By this point, they were on the ferry to Air Temple Island. Earlier that morning Korra had texted Jinora to tell her to let her parents know they were coming.  She hadn’t heard back, but as soon as they drove off the ferry, Asami’s car was greeted by a gaggle of children and an old Great Pyrenees. Asami didn’t even bother to drive the car up to the house, instead choosing to park it down by the bay. It seemed safer for everyone.

Meelo, Ikki, Rohan, and Naga immediately turned their affections on Asami whom they saw far less often than the girl who was basically their sister. Jinora, however, hugged Korra with more force than she’d thought possible from an almost fifteen year old who didn’t weightlift. 

“I’m so happy for you,” Jinora said into Korra’s shoulder. “I’m _so, so_ happy!” 

Korra laughed, feeling so much freer than she had the last time she’d been standing here just the night before. “Me too! Asami loves me! I can’t believe it!” 

Jinora let go of Korra to twirl around with excitement. The other kids quickly joined her when Asami wrapped her arms around Korra from behind and said, “Believe it.” Korra turned in her arms and kissed her. It was borderline acceptable based on their PDA requirements, but neither of them cared because they were with family. 

Before long, the kids dragged the two women into the house for lunch. As they burst through the kitchen door, Pema and Tenzin glanced at each other. 

“Welcome home, girls,” Pema said, hurrying to hug Asami, while Tenzin grabbed Korra in a bear hug. 

“How long have you known?” Korra asked Tenzin quietly. 

Tenzin snorted into her hair. “For you? Since your first day at RCHS when you met her. You haven’t stopped talking about her since then. Pema and I couldn’t believe it when you decided you liked Mako instead of Asami.” 

“What about Asami?” Korra murmured so her girlfriend wouldn’t hear. 

Tenzin smiled fondly down at his foster daughter. “I began to suspect when she wouldn’t leave the hospital room so I could tell you the extent of your injuries. I told her to leave, but one look at you was enough for her to refuse. This girl who had always been sweet-tempered was ready to fight me to stay by your side. It made me suspicious, so I started paying attention after that. It wasn’t so hard to see the truth when I knew what I was looking for.” 

Korra grinned and stepped back in time to hear Pema say, “You’re welcome here anytime, Asami. We’re so happy you’re in our family now.”

 

**A Few Weeks Later**

Korra and Asami waited awhile before telling anyone else they were dating, though they had called Tonraq and Senna who weren’t surprised. It wasn’t that they didn’t want their friends to know, but rather that they didn’t know how to bring it up without making it awkward. After all, Mako had dated both Korra and Asami, and Asami had recently been engaged, however briefly. 

When Bolin sent out a group text to coordinate dinner with everyone, Korra and Asami knew it was time to tell them. They’d discussed it and decided that instead of making a big deal out of it, they’d just walk into the restaurant holding hands. Bolin would probably freak out and the others would probably ask questions, but it would be better than getting nervous about giving some sort of speech about it.

They were the last to arrive, thanks to Asami leaving work late, so when they walked up to the table holding hands, it was obvious they were together. Mako, Bolin, and Opal all looked at each other for a few seconds. 

“Didn’t I date both of you?” Mako asked dispassionately, looking back down at his menu, apparently disinterested. 

Opal too went back to the menu, trying to decide what to have for dinner. “What happened to Iroh?” she asked without looking at them. 

Korra and Asami glanced at each other, confused. Even Bolin appeared to be entirely unconcerned...although, now that Korra examined him more closely, he looked like he was ready to burst. Finally, he couldn’t contain it anymore and jumped out of the booth to hug them both. “I’m so happy for you!” 

“Bolin!” Opal and Mako chided together. 

“Come on, bro! We had this planned!” Mako moaned. 

Opal shook her head. “I can’t believe you ruined this! It would have been so perfect!” 

Korra looked at Asami to see if she knew what was going on, but the frown on her face told her they were both clueless. “Anyone want to clue us in?” Korra asked, pushing Bolin off of them. 

Opal, Bolin, and Mako burst into laughter. “We’ve been waiting for ages for the two of you to get together,” Opal explained. “It was so obvious you liked each other.” 

“How?” Korra and Asami asked in unison. 

Opal looked at them in disbelief. “Are you kidding?” she asked. When the two girlfriends shook their heads, she looked momentarily flummoxed, but recovered quickly. “Okay, let’s do this. Back in high school, you,” she pointed at Korra, “always paid super-close attention any time Asami’s name was mentioned in conversation and immediately stopped talking any time you were around her. When you moved back South, Asami was the only one you would talk to. Even when you came back, it was obvious that she was the one you really wanted to spend time with. 

“And you,” she turned her attention to Asami, “suddenly had an increased interest in band the second Korra turned up in Republic City. Before then you hated that class. Then one day you suddenly couldn’t stop talking about it. More recently, do you know how many times you came over to my apartment, drunk I might add, and sobbed to me about Korra?” 

Korra watched with interest as Asami turned bright red and began to splutter indignantly. This was all new information to her. She hadn’t even bothered to protest Opal’s observations of her because they were undeniably accurate. “I wouldn’t have—I never—I did not!” Asami finally managed to get out. 

“Korra left me,” Opal began in terrible, but recognizable Asami impression. “Korra won’t talk to anyone about what happened. I’m afraid Korra’s going to commit suicide. Korra emailed me about a girl who might like her. Korra is interning with me this summer. What do I do? What if she hates the car I made her? What if she doesn’t like me anymore?” Opal broke off and resumed talking in her normal voice. “It was never Iroh you were crying about. It was always Korra.” 

Korra looked at Asami, her anxiety threatening to take over at the bemused expression she couldn’t read on Asami’s face. Was Asami questioning everything? But then Asami let out an embarrassed huff of laughter. “I suppose you’re right.” 

Mako snorted with disdain. “Of course we are. So when the two of you weren’t around, we started planning on what we would do when you guys finally figured it out.” 

“But then Iroh proposed, so we weren’t sure what was going to happen,” Opal continued. “We were afraid we’d never get to use our plan of acting like we had no interest in you guys. Then tonight we did and Bolin ruined it!” 

Bolin sat back down in the booth beside Opal and crossed his arms. “I tried!” he protested. “I really tried! I just couldn’t help it because they are so great together!” 

Asami finally relaxed then and pushed Korra into the booth beside Mako, taking a seat next to her. “Thanks, Bolin,” she said. 

Korra smiled up at her girlfriend and then around the table at her friends. “So you guys are okay with this?” 

“Yes!” Opal and Bolin said in unison. 

Mako sighed. “I guess it means I need to find a girlfriend, but yeah. It was weird at first, but I’ve gotten used to the idea of it by now since it’s been so damn long. Just be happy and we’re good.” 

Korra thought about Mako’s words, “Just be happy.” As she watched Asami laugh and playfully shove Mako for saying something stupid, Korra realized that for the first time she could remember, she finally was.

 

**Two Months Later**

Their relationship wasn’t all serious, which Korra was forever grateful for because her favorite thing in the world was making Asami laugh, often by doing stupid and ridiculous things. There may or may not have been one time when Korra grabbed Hiroshi’s old guitar, put on a giant top hat, drew on a moustache, and chased Asami around her apartment, singing terrible improvised love songs to her. 

One night, however, her desire to get Asami to laugh stemmed more from nerves than love. They’d slowly been growing more intimate, but always stopped before actually having sex. Tonight, Korra knew, would be different. She was terrified, but ready. In the middle of a long make out session on Asami’s bed, she made to remove her shirt. Asami reached out to still Korra’s hand and said, “Are you sure?”

“Yeah.” They began to undress one another between long, languid kisses. Shirts, jeans, bras, underwear. They worked in sync like they had done this a thousand times. However, when they were fully undressed, Korra was painfully aware that this was new and scary and Asami was so beautiful and might judge her even though she promised she wouldn’t. Instead of voicing her fears and ruining the mood, she got an idea, which in hindsight, could have much more effectively killed the mood if Asami had been anyone else. 

Korra surprised Asami by rolling her onto her back and hovered over her. She figured Asami was planning on taking control because she was more experienced; however, her idea wouldn’t work if Asami were in charge.  Korra kissed her on the corner of her mouth and then spent the next minute or so fighting down her desire for the naked woman below her. It was unsurprisingly difficult. She’d waited two months since they started dating for this moment, on top of the seven years she’d been attracted to her. Her desire wasn’t enough to allay her nerves, so she went forward with her plan and painstakingly aligned their bellybuttons. When she was sure they were touching, she let most of her weight down onto Asami. 

Asami tilted her head to the side so she could see Korra. Korra could see lust in her eyes, though it was overshadowed by confusion. “Um…what are you doing?” 

“Sex,” Korra whispered seductively in her ear. 

“I—what do you think sex is?” Asami asked slowly, as if afraid of the answer. 

It took all of Korra’s self control to not burst into laughter right then. She pushed herself up just enough for Asami to see her feigned puzzlement. “It’s when a person with an outie bellybutton like me puts it in their partner’s innie bellybutton.” 

“Korra,” Asami said, fighting for calm. “Sex doesn’t have anything to do with bellybuttons. How would that make sense? Statistically, there are more people with innie bellybuttons, so the numbers wouldn’t add up. Apart from that, where would babies come from?” Realization dawned across her face. “Why would I believe you were being serious?” Asami snorted with laughter and shoved Korra off of her. “I can’t believe I believed you!” 

Korra lay on the bed where she landed, her body wracked by guffaws. “I can’t believe it either! I thought you were supposed to be smart!” 

“You’re going to pay for that!” Asami rolled to her knees and attacked Korra with her fingers. In the brief moments before Asami started tickling her, Korra was awed by the beauty of the woman she’d loved for so long. There were times when Asami put effort into looking sexy and she always succeeded; however, Korra thought, right now with her messy hair, face clear of makeup, and expression completely unguarded, she was at her sexiest because she was her true self. These thoughts passed briefly through her mind until the wrath of tickle-monster Asami descended and she was breathless with laughter. 

Their tickle fight quickly turned into something much more pleasurable. Afterwards, as Asami was falling asleep, she murmured, “That was more perfect than I could ever have imagined. Thank you for being you.”

Korra held Asami as she slept and thought about that statement. It hadn’t been perfect. It was Korra’s first time having sex and Asami’s first time with a woman. Going into it they knew that they’d desired one another, but they didn’t know exactly how it would work out between them. There had been a lot of fumbling around, trying to find the right places to touch one another. It had been awkward at times, but they eventually found a rhythm so that neither person was left unsatisfied. When Asami came, letting out gasps of laughter and moans pleasure, Korra learned that it was possible to make someone laugh while also making love to them. It was a humbling sight; she’d never seen anything so beautiful and she doubted outside of the bedroom she ever would again. As she finally fell asleep, she resolved that this wouldn’t be the last time they laughed during sex.

The next morning when Korra woke, Asami had already left for work. As Korra was leaving the apartment, she noticed an extra key on her keychain. The smile that spread across her face didn’t disappear for the rest of the day. 

From then on, Korra came over a few days a week after work and made Asami dinner. Asami, in turn, started working more reasonable hours and stopped eating so much takeout.

 

**Seven Months Later**

Life wasn’t always filled with laughter, however. Seven months after they started dating, Naga got sick, so Korra brought her to the vet. It turned out she had an aggressive form of cancer and she was forced to let the vet put down her beloved friend. Korra held Naga the whole time, talking to her about all of the memories they’d shared and thanking her for being such a great dog. 

Afterwards, Korra’s resolve not to bother Asami at work faltered, and with shaking hands she dialed the phone. 

 _“Hello?_ ” Asami answered. 

“Sami?” was all Korra managed to choke out. 

 _“Hang on, I’ll be right there._ ” 

Korra sat outside the vet’s office with Naga’s collar in her grasp and sobbed until Asami arrived ten minutes later and drove them to Air Temple Island to share the news with the family. Korra was exhausted from crying and the emotional toll of the day, so Asami helped her into her bed and went to take care of Pema, Tenzin, and the kids. Just a few minutes later, Asami crawled into bed with her and held her close. Korra thought it wasn’t possible to love this woman anymore, and then Jinora, Ikki, Meelo, and Rohan filed into the room and Asami welcomed them into the hug with open arms. That’s when Korra knew that no matter how bad life got, as long as Asami was by her side, things would be bearable.

 

**One Year Later**

On an ordinary day a year after they started dating, Korra was sitting on Asami’s couch filling out her annual background check forms. It was required by the RCPD, so as annoying as it was, she sucked it up and did it anyway. When it asked for her address, she called to Asami who was attempting to fix the garbage disposal. “Hey, Sami, is it cool if I move in?” 

Korra heard a loud thump, a quiet _Shit!_ , and then Asami emerged from the kitchen. “Sorry?” she asked. 

“I have to fill out address forms for work. Is it okay if I put down your address as my primary address?” 

Asami dropped the wrench she had been holding. “Uh…I…” Asami spluttered.

Korra had never seen her so out of sorts and couldn’t figure out why. Then the wheels in her head started turning; she’d just asked her girlfriend if she could move in with her like it was no more important a decision than whether they should have spaghetti or baked chicken for dinner. Still, it might be a big deal in name, but it really wasn’t so different from what they were already doing. “I just figured that it made sense since I already pretty much live here,” Korra said quietly. Maybe it was too much for Asami. After all, she’d dated Iroh for much longer and had never taken this step with him. 

“Yes! Of course you can!” Asami said hurriedly when she saw Korra’s defeat. “You just caught me off guard. It’s been so easy between us that until you asked, I hadn’t realized you’d moved in without us ever talking about it. You might as well make it official!” 

God, Korra loved this woman! 

 

**One Year and One Month Later**

Korra quickly learned that officially living with someone was harder than spending a few nights a week with them. Apart from that, they had been under a lot of pressure as a couple recently with people making thinly veiled comments in the news about them, but never addressing the matter directly. It added even more stress to an already strange situation. Korra found herself getting annoyed about stupid things, but always managed to suppress her feelings before her frustration became obvious. She figured Asami didn’t deserve her ire. 

However, it turned out that Asami was growing short-tempered as well. In fact, she was the first to crack. “Do you really have to flush the toilet when you get up to pee in the middle of the night?” she snapped at Korra one morning. 

Korra watched as Asami put on her daily makeup and couldn’t believe her routine went uninterrupted even as she was fuming. She also couldn’t believe Asami had just gotten snippy with her, especially over something she knew Korra couldn’t help. Ever since her injuries, Korra always had to pee at least once during the night. Asami had never been so unreasonable before. Korra reverted to her impulsive high school self before she could stop herself and retorted hotly, “Well, what about you? There were three times in the past two weeks I made dinner and you promised to be home at a reasonable time, but you came home late.” 

“You know I couldn’t help that,” Asami said, a hint of warning in her voice. 

“And I can?” Korra demanded. 

“You can help flushing the damn toilet and waking me up!” 

They stood glaring at each other in the master bathroom. Asami relented first. “This isn’t going to work. We’re obviously two very different and independent people,” she said, looking down at the floor in embarrassment. 

Korra felt like Asami had punched her. She felt like a little kid again, getting kicked out of yet another foster home because she wasn’t good enough. Except this time it was so much worse because she was losing the woman she loved. “Okay,” she said softly. “Let me get some stuff and I’ll be out of your way.” She turned to leave, trying to hide her devastation. She had promised Asami she would always be by her side as long as she was living and wanted. It seemed that she was no longer wanted.

Asami grabbed her arm. “Whoa,” she said. “That’s not what I meant. I was just going to say we need to talk about the things that bother us before they start to fester and make us secretly hate each other.” 

“Yeah?” Korra asked, suddenly filled with hope. Maybe it wasn’t over. 

Asami’s eyes softened like she realized the turmoil she had just put Korra through. “Yeah. It’s you and me now. You’re not allowed to leave me.” She tugged Korra in for a hug. Tears began to leak out of the corner of Korra’s eyes before she could stop them. She was so relieved. “I’m so sorry, Kor. I didn’t mean to make you think I didn’t want to be with you anymore. I didn’t mean to bring back those memories for you. I didn’t think about how it would sound before I said it. I love you so much.” 

“I love you too,” Korra choked out. “I promise to never flush the toilet again.”

Asami laughed and kissed her girlfriend on top of her head. “That’ll annoy me for another reason.” Korra snorted into Asami’s shoulder. She hadn’t thought her plan through before she said it aloud. “Are we good?” 

“Always,” Korra said.

 

**One Year and Three Months Later**

Officially living with Asami had been enlightening for Korra. For instance, now that this was her primary address, she started sorting through the mail and found Asami received an astonishing number of invitations. Some people wanted her to give inspirational speeches, others sought to get her to attend their event, and still others wanted to interview her. Asami had been receiving these invitations for so long that she only gave them a cursory glance before throwing nearly all of them into the trash. 

Korra was more curious and read through all of them. Like Asami, she discarded most of them, but one day she found a request from a high school newspaper to interview Asami. “Hey, Sami!” she said, nudging her girlfriend who sat beside her watching Netflix. 

“Hmm?” Asami said, not really diverting her attention from Parks and Rec, her current show of interest. 

“I think you should do this interview.” 

Korra waved the invitation in her face and Asami sighed, but paused her laptop. Asami read through the letter and gave Korra a questioning look, but shrugged and picked up her phone to set it up. 

Two weeks later, Korra was sitting at the kitchen table, drinking tea and waiting for Asami to get home from work. When she came through the door, she dropped a school newspaper in front of Korra and went to their room to change without saying a word. 

Korra read through the article. It was most of the same stuff Asami repeated over and over in interviews. She talked about being a young female engineer in charge of an important company and the challenges that come along with it. She glossed over the incident that had landed her father in prison. It wasn’t until the last paragraph that Korra understood why Asami wanted her to read it. The young journalist had asked about her relationship with Korra.

 

…

J: So, you’re in a high profile relationship with a woman. What has that been like? 

A: You know, you’re the first reporter to ask me about it. It’s been easy for the most part, like breathing. We were friends for a long time first, and our friends and family have been very supportive. Of course we’ve encountered a few closed-minded people, but thankfully haven’t had too many issues. 

J: Do you have any advice for young people in same sex relationships?

A: Well…I guess I would give the same advice as I would to someone in a hetero relationship. Surround yourselves with people who will support you. Making a big deal out of a same sex relationship only perpetuates the belief that it’s abnormal. Korra and I are in a relationship, which is for all intents and purposes, the same as every other relationship. We love each other and that’s all that really matters. 

J: Well said.

 

…

Korra smiled when she read that. She’d been hoping the high schooler would have the guts to ask Asami about their relationship, something no adult reporter had yet done. It helped to get their relationship out in the open, which both Korra and Asami had desired for a long time. Asami’s answer was perfect in that she refused to make it a big deal. Asami was pretty much perfect. 

The next week, Asami got a call from Iroh and they set up dinner for the three of them. Korra was afraid dinner would be awkward, but Iroh was as wonderful as always and congratulated them on their relationship. He told them he had been curious about Asami’s friendship with Korra for a long time and had suspected they were in love with each other. It had hurt him when she broke things off, but he hadn’t been all that surprised. In fact, Iroh had been a bit relieved. He’d loved Asami with all his heart, but knew Asami’s heart was somewhere else. They left that dinner as friends.

 

**Two Years Later**

Korra was lounging on the couch late one night, waiting for Asami to come home. Asami had texted her earlier in the evening to say she’d be home late because there had been an incident and she had to fire a few employees. 

When Asami burst through the door at eleven o’clock, she through her bag down by the door and collapsed next to Korra. She buried her face in Korra’s neck and said, “This has been such a bad day! Tell me something to make me forget about it.” 

Without thinking, Korra said, “Do you want to marry me?” She froze. She couldn’t believe she’d said that. She’d been thinking about it for a while, but hadn’t planned on asking yet. Certainly not like that! 

“Mission accomplished,” Asami muttered and lifted her head. Her green eyes were as wide as Korra had ever seen them. “Are you serious?” 

“Uh…hang on a sec?” Korra ran to the guest bedroom and pulled out a ring box from beneath the mattress. She sat back down next to Asami and opened the box to show her the diamond ring inside. “Yes?” she said, more of a question than an answer.

Asami blinked a few times, but quickly came to her senses and threw her arms around Korra’s neck. “Yes!” she exclaimed, plucking the ring from its box and putting it on her left hand. “Of course I’ll marry you!” 

They started kissing then. Some time later, when they were snuggled up in bed, Asami said, “Most low key proposal ever.” 

Korra snorted and retorted, “Most unplanned proposal ever.” 

“It still counts, though. You’re not taking it back.” 

Korra kissed Asami’s bare shoulder. “I wouldn’t dream of it.”

 

**Five Years Later**

On a lazy Sunday afternoon, Korra sat on the couch and played on her laptop while Asami made dinner. Since getting married a couple of years ago, they’d settled into more of a routine than they had when they were just dating. Asami was more comfortable taking time off from work and Korra took fewer “on-call” shifts than when she was first establishing herself with RCPD.

It was nearing their second anniversary, so Korra was looking for a present for Asami. She found a new set of socket wrenches on Amazon for a good price and ordered them. It wasn’t, perhaps, the most romantic gift, but she knew Asami desperately needed a second set. She’d been carting hers back and forth from work because she refused to use anyone else’s. Thus, Korra had decided to find an identical set for her. Plus, she would do something romantic for their anniversary. It was easier and probably better than trying to figure out what a romantic gift would be. 

Korra clicked out of Amazon and opened the tab for her junk email address to make sure the order confirmation came through. It had. She rarely checked this email address anymore because it seemed silly for her to keep emailing Asami once they’d started dating. Periodic emails had continued for the first year until they moved in together, but even then they preferred phone calls and text messages to stay in contact because it was easier. Now that she was on the page, she was curious. It had been years since she’d gone through Asami’s emails to her. 

She clicked on the folder where she kept all of Asami’s emails and opened the first one. That wasn’t right. She quickly opened a new tab and went to her sent emails. After all, reading just Asami’s emails to her would mean she’d miss things. She opened the first one she’d sent her approximately eleven years ago.

  

…

To: Asami Sato ([asamisato@gmail.com](mailto:asamisato@gmail.com))

From: Korra ([avatarkorra@yahoo.com](mailto:avatarkorra@yahoo.com))

9/10

Subject: Hello

 

Asami,

How’s your freshman year of college? Is it everything people have told me it would be? I hope so. Otherwise it’ll be a huge letdown. 

I was really sorry to hear about your dad and your company. That really sucks. How are you doing with all of that? I’m sure you have a million people to talk to, but if you ever want to talk to me, just let me know. I’ll help in any way I can. 

Is this email out of line? If it is, please ignore it. You can respond or not. The choice is yours. Well, obviously the choice is yours. Who else would make it? 

Anyway I hope you’re doing okay.

Sincerely,

Korra

 

P.S. I miss your mad euphonium skills in band. I’m all alone now.

 

 

…

Korra laughed aloud at how terrified her past self had sounded. If only she’d known then where she would end up…okay, past Korra probably would have been more terrified to know she was emailing her future wife. Maybe things had worked out for the best.

“Are you laughing at me?” Asami called warily from the kitchen.

Korra snorted, amused at Asami’s paranoia. Although, to be fair, she usually was laughing at Asami. Her wife had a tendency to sing as she cooked, which wouldn’t have been that unusual except that she didn’t know the words to any songs, so she took pop tunes and added engineering lyrics. Korra mocked her mercilessly for it. “Not this time.” 

“Oh good.” Asami paused and went back to stirring the roux she was making for homemade mac and cheese. “Feel like sharing?” 

“I’m reading our first emails to each other.” 

“Read them aloud, please?” Asami requested.

Korra complied and read her first email to Asami aloud. Asami burst out laughing. “I’d forgotten how afraid of me you were! I thought you hated me until I got that email. Then I realized I made you nervous.”

That hurt Korra’s pride a little. “I wasn’t afraid, exactly,” she grumbled. “I just wanted you to like me and I was afraid the more I talked the less you would because you were so brilliant.”

Asami turned off the stove and poured the cheese mixture over the macaroni, sprinkled them with breadcrumbs, and stuck it in the oven to bake. She wandered into the living room and sat down next to Korra, tucking her legs under her as she leaned on her wife’s shoulder. “Ten minutes until dinner’s ready.” 

“Good. I’m starving!” 

“You’re always starving.” Korra rolled her eyes, but didn’t retort. “Let’s see some more emails.”

Together they sat on the couch reminiscing about their long history, groaning at Korra’s lame jokes and awkwardness, and sighing at Asami’s decisions. When the timer went off, Asami made her way back to the kitchen and returned with two big bowls filled with macaroni and cheese and broccoli. “Sorry it’s not super fancy,” she said, sitting back down on the couch.

Korra shook her head to cut off anymore self-deprecating her wife might do; even after two years of marriage, Asami still seemed to harbor a belief that she wasn’t enough for Korra. In their vows she’d promised to always try to be good enough. Korra had adlibbed her own vows to swear she’d always work to make sure Asami believed she already was. “It’s perfect.” 

As they ate, they continued to read. They got to the email Korra sent thanking Asami for letting her intern with her. 

 

…

From: Korra ([avatarkorra@yahoo.com](mailto:avatarkorra@yahoo.com))

To: Asami Sato ([asamisato@gmail.com](mailto:asamisato@gmail.com))

8/22

Subject: soccer

 

Asami,

Thank you again for letting me intern at Future Industries this summer. I really appreciated everything you did for me both professionally and personally. Seriously, you letting me wear a tux and telling me it’s okay if I don’t wear girl clothes was one of the best things that’s ever happened to me. Dancing with you at the ball was pretty great too. 

School starts tomorrow, which I’m kind of dreading. Only two years left. Ugh. 

Also, I got a weird call tonight. Someone from a local soccer league wants me to coach little kids. I told him I’d think about it, but I’m not sure I want to. I’m afraid it will be too hard to be around the soccer world now that I know I’ll never really be a part of it again. Thoughts? 

Have fun proofing designs!

Korra

  

…

They sat in contemplative silence for a time. Finally, Asami said, “When I got that email I couldn’t believe how much my reaction to your confession about hating girls clothes meant to you. It was one of the few times I couldn’t stop myself from hoping you might love me. I hoped me telling you it was okay to dress like a boy would make you realize I didn’t care if you were gay. I hoped that would give you confidence to tell me you liked me.” She let out a breath of laughter. “It sounds like an insane leap for me to expect you to make now that I’ve said it aloud.” 

Korra laughed too. “Yeah, a little. There were a few times you tried to get me to admit to being gay, weren’t there?” 

“Yes!” Asami exclaimed putting her empty bowl on the coffee table. “You so obviously liked Kuvira when you were at BSSU and I was pretty sure you liked Rikka too, but you wouldn’t say anything about it.” 

Korra put her bowl beside Asami’s and stretched out on the couch, her head in Asami’s lap. “Yeah, I did like them, but I didn’t really realize it then. Besides, I only liked them because they reminded me of you.” 

Asami looked at Korra adoringly. “That’s really sweet.” 

Korra shrugged, but sat up quickly when she remembered something. “Hey! I never told you that you were right about Rikka!”

“That you liked her? Because you just did.”

Korra shook her head. “No, no. This was years ago. I told you I was going to hang out with Rikka and you told me to be careful because you thought she liked me. You were right. She asked me out a few months after that.”

Asami started at Korra in astonishment. “Why didn’t you tell me? We emailed every day and you didn’t tell me that a girl asked you out? Isn’t that kind of a big thing to leave out?”

Korra nodded sheepishly. “Yeah, but I was afraid if I told you you’d have been happy for me and then I would have known for sure you didn’t like me.” She screwed up her face in confusion. “Not that I knew I liked you? But I kind of did on an unconscious level? I don’t know. It’s complicated.” 

“I get it,” Asami placed her hand on Korra’s arm. “I would have told you I was happy, but I would have been so jealous.” 

“And you would have shown up drunk at Opal’s and cried about it?” Korra asked slyly. Ever since the dinner where Opal let that slip, Korra never let Asami live it down. 

Asami sighed, but pulled Korra back down onto her lap. “Probably,” she admitted. 

They skimmed through the last two years of emails and finally got to the one Asami sent after Iroh proposed.

  

…

To: Korra ([avatarkorra@yahoo.com](mailto:avatarkorra@yahoo.com))

From: Asami Sato ([asamisato@gmail.com](mailto:asamisato@gmail.com))

6/15

Subject: any advice?

 

Korra,

So, Iroh just asked me to marry him. I told him yes. I don’t know how I feel about that, though. I love him and everything and we’ve been together forever, but I’m not sure I really want to marry him. I don’t have a good reason to say no. Shouldn’t I be thrilled that I’m going to spend the rest of my life with the man I love? Why am I just mildly pleased, but mostly conflicted? 

I need your advice. What should I do? 

Asami

  

…

That was a painful memory. Korra had been oblivious to her feelings and Asami in denial about hers, but they had both been so unhappy at the idea of Iroh’s proposal. Neither of them said anything for a time, not sure what the right words would be. Eventually, Korra stirred and said, “I kinda can’t believe you had the courage to send that.” She thought about how those words sounded and backtracked. “I mean, not that you’re not brave, but…”

“But when I have to make decisions about my happiness I’m not?” Asami finished drily. “Yes, I believe you’ve said that before.” She thought about it. “I don’t think it was that brave. It wasn’t a confession; actually, it required you to make the first move.”

Korra shook her head in Asami’s lap. “Nah. It was like an invitation to dance. You held your hand out and gave me the chance to interpret what it meant. I took it and led you to the dance floor, and then you had to decide if you wanted to dance with me. We’ve been dancing together ever since.”

Asami looked down at Korra, an unreadable expression on her face, as she stroked her hands through Korra’s hair. “That was really corny,” she finally said. “But so is this. I’m better when I’m with you.”

 “So am I. We’re both better together.” Korra thought back over the twelve years they’d known one another: their marriage, their engagement, living together, dating, admitting their feelings for one another, Asami supporting Korra after her injuries, Korra supporting Asami after her dad was imprisoned, and even the way both of them were needed to complete the euphonium section in band all those years ago. “We’ve always been better together. That’s why it works.”

“And why it always will,” Asami completed. “I love you.”

“I love you, too,” Korra replied.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I wrote the sentence: "Sex has nothing to do with bellybuttons." Never thought that'd happen. Anyway, I'm not totally thrilled with this, but whatever. Hopefully it was okay. I tried to incorporate as many of your ideas as I could, though I didn't really do the whole smut thing. I couldn't think of an original way to write it.
> 
> I owe you guys a one shot from Asami's perspective, so look for that sometime in the future. Specific, I know. I haven't started it and don't have a ton of ideas yet, so give me some time. Feel free to PM me with ideas for it. I might potentially do an alternate ending for what would happen if Asami chose Iroh.

**Author's Note:**

> Things to know about this story:  
> 1\. The title is from the song, "Hiding Place" by Aushua, particularly the lyric:
> 
> "I ain't saying I believe/and I'm not saying you're to blame/But you call this thing love and I don't think they're the same/It's just a hiding place"
> 
> 2\. Daily updates for the first 14 chapters at least. Some will be short and other will be long. Sorry for the inconsistency, but it's the only way that makes sense.
> 
> 3\. There will be two timelines. One is the present and one is the past. In terms of style, think "Annie on My Mind" by Nancy Garden. The plot is entirely different, though.
> 
> 4\. Comments and constructive criticism are very much appreciated. Also, on the off chance the email addresses in this story are actually in use, please refrain from emailing them.


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